Comprehensive evaluation of patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy to assess the possibility of surgical treatment.
Pre-surgical diagnostics consist of two phases:
Phase 1 (Non-invasive methods):
1) Interictal and ictal EEG — performed according to minimum recording standards recommended by IFCN and ILAE. For ictal EEG, 3–5 high-quality seizures must be recorded.
2) MRI according to HARNESS protocol — mandatory.
3) Neuropsychological assessment — mandatory.
4) Interictal PET/CT of the brain with 18F-FDG — if needed.
5) MR spectroscopy, tractography, morphometry, and volumetry — if needed.
6) Ictal and interictal SPECT — if needed.
Phase 2 (Invasive methods):
1) Intracranial depth electrodes (stereo-EEG).
2) Subdural grids and strips (grid and strip electrodes).
3) Electrocorticography (ECoG) for cortical mapping.
