Hippocampal Abnormalities in Adults with Unilateral Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Aims& objectives: To compare the fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity of ipsilateral and contralateral hippocampus of unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy patients with age matched normal controls. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in the department of Radiology, Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College, Salem. This study was done as an analytic, prospective case control study for a period of 3years from September 2016 to August 2019. Patients with a clinical picture of temporal lobe epilepsy, with either structural abnormalities in temporal lobe on MR imaging or EEG consistent with temporal lobe epilepsy were included. Our control group consisted of 30 adults. Imaging protocol: The examinations were performed in 1.5T Philips MRI system. Results: This study reveals increased mean diffusivity (ADC) and decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in ipsilateral and contralateral hippocampi in patients with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis. Conclusion: In patients with clinical history of temporal lobe epilepsy and equivocal conventional MRI, significantly altered DTI values adds to the diagnosis.