Summary:Purpose: Malformations due to abnormal cortical development (MCDs) are common pathologic substrates of medically intractable epilepsy. The in situ epileptogenicity of these lesions as well as its relation to histopathologic changes remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to correlate the cellular patterns of MCDs with the expression of focal cortical epileptogenicity as assessed by direct extraoperative electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings by using subdural grids.Methods: Fifteen patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy due to pathologically confirmed MCD who underwent subdural electrode placement for extraoperative seizure localization and cortical mapping between 1997 and 2000 were included in the study. Areas of interictal spiking and ictal-onset patterns were identified and separated during surgery for further pathologic characterization (cellular and architectural). Three pathologic groups were identified: type I; architectural disorganization with/without giant neurons, type IIA; architectural disorganization with dysmorphic neurons, and type IIB; architectural disorganization, dysmorphic neurons, and balloon cells (BCs).The focal histopathologic subtypes of MCDs in cortical tissue resected were then retrospectively correlated with in situ extraoperative ECoG patterns.Results: Cortical areas with histopathologic subtype IIA showed significantly higher numbers of slow repetitive spike pattern in comparison with histopathologic type I (p ס 0.007) and normal pathology (p ס 0.002). The ictal onset came mainly from cortical areas with histopathologic type IIA (nine of 15 patients). None of the seizures originated from neocortical areas that showed BC-containing MCD (type IIB).Conclusions: This study shows that areas containing BCs are less epileptogenic than are closely located dysplastic regions. These results suggest a possible protective effect of BCs or a severe disruption in the neuronal networks in BCs containing dysplastic lesions. Further studies are needed to elucidate the nature and the potential role(s) of balloon cells in MCD-induced epileptogenicity.
Domino liver transplantation (DLT) utilizes the explanted liver of one liver transplant recipient as a donor graft in another patient. While there may be unique risks associated with DLT, it is unclear if DLT has less favorable long-term outcomes than deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT). We used a propensity score matching approach to compare the outcomes of DLT recipients to DDLT recipients. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry was queried for patients undergoing DLT or DDLT in 2002-2016. Each DLT recipient was matched to a unique DDLT recipient to compare mortality and graft failure. There were 126 DLT and 62 835 DDLT recipients meeting inclusion criteria. After propensity score matching on recipient pre-transplant characteristics, 123 DLT cases were matched to DDLT controls from the same UNOS region. On stratified Cox proportional hazards regression, DLT incurred no increase in the hazard of mortality [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.4; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.8, 2.7; P = 0.265] or graft failure (HR = 1.2; 95% CI: 0.7, 2.1; P = 0.556) compared to DDLT. Using a large national registry, a propensity-matched analysis found no increased risk of mortality or graft failure associated with DLT compared to DDLT.
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