The Utility of NIOM During LITT for Refractory MTLE

During laser interstitial thermal ablation (LITT) for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the study patients will receive invasive neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring. In addition to the typical placement of LITT stereotactic laser ablation probe via occipital burr hole, the study patients will receive an 8-contact depth recording electrode placed through an adjacent burr hole. The recording electrode will be placed into the parahippocampal gyrus in parallel to the LITT device. The patient will be monitored for epileptic discharges for 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after the ablation process to record the change in discharges during the surgery. The monitoring will not be used to guide surgery. The probe will be removed with the LITT device at the end of the procedure.