The evolution of stereoelectroencephalography: symbiotic progress in medical imaging and procedural technologies

J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2023 Aug 25;32(5):545-552. doi: 10.3171/2023.7.PEDS2344. Print 2023 Nov 1.

Abstract

Stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) was pioneered in France, at a time when cerebral anatomy was invisible to contemporaneous imaging modalities. Epilepsy surgeons relied on indirect targeting techniques to identify epileptogenic tissue. Since then, alongside the rapid rise of medical imaging technology, sEEG has experienced dramatic stepwise progress. A flurry of advancements has pushed this technique to its current-day standards, enabling neurosurgeons to access any intracranial location in a safe, highly precise, and expeditious manner. Presently, epilepsy surgeons throughout the world apply robot-assisted sEEG. Herein, the authors chronicle this incredible evolution.

Keywords: epilepsy; functional; history; sEEG; seizure; stereoelectroencephalography.

MeSH terms

  • Brain Mapping / methods
  • Drug Resistant Epilepsy* / diagnostic imaging
  • Drug Resistant Epilepsy* / surgery
  • Electrodes, Implanted
  • Electroencephalography / methods
  • Epilepsy* / diagnostic imaging
  • Epilepsy* / surgery
  • Humans
  • Radiography
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Stereotaxic Techniques