The Evaluation of White Matter Intensities in Patients with Pediatric Epilepsy

Aim: Neuroimaging is an important tool, in combination with a detailed medical history, physical examination, and electroencephalography, in the diagnosis and classification of epilepsy. White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are bright areas of high signal intensity seen in white matter at T2-weighted MRI. Researchers aimed to evaluate whether white matter hyperintensities are more common in children with epilepsy.

Material-method: Patients who underwent cranial MRI with diagnoses of epilepsy based on International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) criteria at the Balıkesir University Medical Faculty Pediatric neurology clinic, Türkiye, between 01.08.2019 and 01.03.2024 and patients who underwent cranial MRI during the same period due to indications other than epilepsy, such as headache, syncope, and vertigo, were included in the study. Written informed consent was received from all patients.

Inclusion criteria

Cranial MRI during the same period due to indications other than epilepsy;

• headache
• syncope and
• vertigo

Exclusion criteria

Patients with neuropsychiatric disorders;

• depression,
• psychotic disorders,
• autism spectrum disorder History of medication use for any chronic disease other than seizure medication, History of vascular disease ;
• Collagen tissue diseases;
• lupus,
• juvenile rheumatoid arthritis,
• polyarteritis nodosa,
• Kawasaki disease Demyelinating disease
• acute demyelinating disease (ADEM),
• Multiple sclerosis Acute symptomatic seizure or a single unprovoked seizure, İncomplete file data, or MRI performed at a location other than our hospital