Mayo Clinic Provides New Diagnostic Option for Epilepsy Patients

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Media Contact:
Lynn Closway
Mayo Clinic
480-301-4222
closway.lynn@mayo.edu

For Immediate Release - January 29, 2004

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - A new imaging technique that can more precisely localize the site of seizure origin in patients with intractable epilepsy is now available at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. This new image, known as SISCOM (subtraction ictal SPECT co-registered to MRI), helps physicians identify the area of the brain where the greatest amount of activity is taking place during a seizure. This may improve outcomes in patients undergoing epilepsy surgery and, in some cases, may open the door to surgical options which may have been previously discounted.

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale is the only medical facility in the Southwest offering SISCOM imaging.

"If we can pinpoint a focal point, then surgery may be an option," says Joseph Sirven, M.D., Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale neurologist. "This is important because, for many patients, surgery offers the only real possibility of a cure for epilepsy. Previously, we'd only been able to view seizure activity by an MRI or PET scan which often misses these focal points."

With SISCOM, two scans are performed. In the first scan, a radioactive "tracer" is injected as soon as possible after a seizure begins. A second scan is performed within the next 24 hours. A computer compares the two images and highlights the area of greatest activity during the seizure. This image is then overlaid on a previously taken MRI. In many cases, the seizure focal point may become evident for the first time. This imaging technique was developed by Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale will also soon be testing another new procedure called Responsive Neuro Stimulation (RNS) that acts in a way similar to a heart defibrillator. RNS may provide yet another treatment option for epilepsy patients, especially those for whom surgery is not possible.

Mayo Clinic is a private group practice of medicine dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses through a systematic focus on individual patient needs. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 65 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 205-bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

###

To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.