Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) type IIId is a newly proposed type associated with early-life brain insults. Such patients are often considered unsuitable for resective epilepsy surgery, given the usually wide extent of the lesion and the poor correlation of MRI to the epileptogenic pathology. Two patients with intractable epilepsy, early-life ischemic/traumatic injury and MRI findings of extensive unilateral cystic-gliotic and ipsilateral medial temporal sclerotic-malformative lesions were subjected to presurgical evaluation revealing well-localized neocortical ictal onsets. They underwent tailored neocortical resections sparing medial temporal areas and achieved Engel class I postsurgical outcomes. Histopathology was consistent with type IIId focal cortical dysplasia. Successful outcomes with tailored resections may be achieved in cases with this subtype of focal cortical dysplasia, in the presence of converging and well-localized semiological, EEG and functional imaging data, even on a background of complex and extensive MRI abnormalities. Medial temporal pathology, although often present in this setting, is not necessarily the site of ictal onsets, and its resection may not be always mandatory for a favorable outcome.
Keywords: Epilepsy; Focal cortical dysplasia IIId; Surgical outcome.