Medline ® Abstract for Reference 81

Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNETs) are rare tumors that present with seizures in the majority of cases. We report the results of a review of seizure freedom rates following resection of these benign lesions. We searched the English literature using PubMed for articles presenting seizure freedom rates for DNETs as a unique entity. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and operative variables were assessed across selected studies. Twenty-nine articles were included in the analysis. The mean age at surgery across studies was a median of 18 years (interquartile range 11-25 years). The mean duration of epilepsy pre-operatively was a median 7 years (interquartile range 3-11 years). Median reported gross-total resection rate across studies was 79 % (interquartile range 62-92 %). Authors variously chose lesionectomy or extended lesionectomy operations within and across studies. The median seizure freedom rate was 86 % (interquartile range 77-93 %) with only one study reporting fewer than 60 % of patients seizure free. Seizure outcomes were either reported at 1 year of follow-up or at last follow-up, which occurred at a median of 4 years (interquartile range 3-7 years). The number of seizure-free patients who discontinued anti-epileptic drugs varied widely from zero to all patients. Greater extent of resection was associated with seizure freedom in four studies.