Neuropsychological assessment in pediatric epilepsy surgery: A French procedure consensus

V Laguitton; M Boutin; H Brissart; D Breuillard; M Bilger; N Forthoffer; V Guinet; S Hennion; C Kleitz; H Mirabel; C Mosca; S Pradier; S Samson; V Voltzenlogel; M Planton; M Denos; C Bulteau

doi:10.1016/j.neurol.2023.08.019

Neuropsychological assessment in pediatric epilepsy surgery: A French procedure consensus

Rev Neurol (Paris). 2023 Nov 8:S0035-3787(23)01106-2. doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2023.08.019. Online ahead of print.

Authors

V Laguitton¹, M Boutin², H Brissart³, D Breuillard⁴, M Bilger⁵, N Forthoffer⁶, V Guinet⁷, S Hennion⁸, C Kleitz⁵, H Mirabel⁹, C Mosca¹⁰, S Pradier¹¹, S Samson¹², V Voltzenlogel¹³, M Planton¹⁴, M Denos¹⁵, C Bulteau¹⁶

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Neurophysiology AP-HM, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France; Department of Pediatric Neurology, APHM, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France. Electronic address: virginie.laguitton@ap-hm.fr.
² GHU-Paris Pôle Neuro-Sainte-Anne - Neurosurgery Unity, 1, rue Cabanis, Paris, France.
³ Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, 54000 Nancy, France; Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, 54000 Nancy, France.
⁴ Reference Center Rare Epilepsies, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France.
⁵ Neurology Department, Hôpital Hautepierre, CHRU Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
⁶ Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, 54000 Nancy, France.
⁷ Department of Functional Neurology and Epileptology, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France.
⁸ Reference Center Rare Epilepsies, Epilepsy Unit, University Lille, INSERM, CHU Lille, U1171 Degenerative and vascular cognitive disorders, Lille, France.
⁹ Neurology Department, Hôpital Pierre-Paul Riquet, CHU de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
¹⁰ Epilepsy Unit, CHU Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble-Alpes, France.
¹¹ Functional Explorations of the Nervous System, Clinical Neurosciences Center, University Hospital Center Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France.
¹² Neurology Department, Rehabilitation Unit, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, APHP, Paris, France; Équipe Neuropsychologie: Audition, Cognition et Action (EA 4072), UFR de psychologie, Université Lille-Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
¹³ Centre d'études et de recherches en psychopathologie et psychologie de la santé, université de Toulouse, UT2J, Toulouse, France.
¹⁴ Neurology Department, Hôpital Pierre-Paul Riquet, CHU de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France.
¹⁵ Neurology Department, Rehabilitation Unit, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, APHP, Paris, France.
¹⁶ Pediatric Neurosurgery Department, Rothschild Foundation Hospital, EpiCare Member, Paris, France; University of Paris Cité, MC(2)Lab, Institute of Psychology, 92000 Boulogne-Billancourt, France.

PMID: 37949750
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2023.08.019

Abstract

Neuropsychological assessment is a mandatory part of the pre- and post-operative evaluation in pediatric epilepsy surgery. The neuropsychology task force of the ILAE - French Chapter aims to define a neuropsychological procedure consensus based on literature review and adapted for French practice. They performed a systematic review of the literature published between 1950 and 2023 on cognitive evaluation of individuals undergoing presurgical work-up and post-surgery follow-up and focused on the pediatric population aged 6-16. They classified publications listed in the PubMed database according to their level of scientific evidence. The systematic literature review revealed no study with high statistical power and only four studies using neuropsychological scales in their French version. Afterwards, the experts defined a neuropsychological consensus strategy in pediatric epilepsy surgery according to the psychometric determinants of cognitive tests, specificity of epilepsy, surgery context, French culture and literature reports. A common French neuropsychological procedure dedicated to pediatric epilepsy surgery is now available. This procedure could serve as a guide for the pre- and post-surgical work-up in French centers with pediatric epilepsy surgery programs. The main goal is to anticipate the functional risks of surgery, to support the postoperative outcome beyond the seizure-related one, while taking into consideration the plasticity and vulnerability of the immature brain and allowing the possibility of collaborative studies.

Keywords: Children; Epilepsy; French Recommendations; Neuropsychology; Surgery.