Radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF-TC) is “a safe, minimally invasive treatment option for patients with refractory focal epilepsy,” specialists have concluded.
At AES 2018, the researchers from Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, reported outcomes in a series of 15 patients who underwent the procedure at the center over a 3-year period.
In RF-TC, intracranial EEG electrodes are used to create small lesions, potentially allowing patients to avoid the need for larger-scale traditional destructive surgery.
The 15 patients were selected for RF-TC either because of the location of the seizure focus in eloquent cortex (6 patients), or as a preliminary treatment to potentially avoid future surgery (a “test ablation” procedure; 9 patients).