OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to test the accuracy of the AW frame by a direct head to head comparison with CRW® frame (Integra Life Sciences, Plainsboro, NJ) on a phantom.
METHODS: This is a prospective pilot cross-sectional phantom study with a total of 42 (21 for AW and 21 for CRW®) laboratory testings performed in 2017 at our institute to compare the accuracies of both frames in a consecutive manner. A phantom (BL phantom) was newly created, where targets can be placed at different heights and positions on a platform attached under the frame for accuracy testing comparing between the AW and CRW® frames.
RESULTS: A comparable accuracy testing results were observed between the AW and CRW® frames of 0.64 mm versus 1.07 mm respectively. Approval from the local ethics committee for a clinical trial was obtained. We report on three case illustrations who had the AW frame-based biopsies with definitive diagnoses and without any post-biopsy related complication.
CONCLUSION: AW frame successfully demonstrated a good accuracy of 0.64 mm in phantom testing using the BL phantom by a linear algorithmic calculation. The clinical trial with three patients demonstrated definitive diagnoses and safety with its use.
METHODS: A survey was developed by multicenter consensus. The survey captured institutional characteristics, geographic distributions, intracranial EEG utilization, and barriers to SEEG. Respondents were representative epilepsy centers across the region.
RESULTS: Four epilepsy centers with established intracranial/ SEEG and two centers from a country without any access to SEEG participated. The responses identified that 1. Access to SEEG remained highly restricted across the region with an estimated one capable epilepsy center per 100 million people; 2. The region includes over half a billion people living in countries with no access to SEEG; 3. Staffing/ financial constraints were universal factors that limited growth of services or development of new services; 4. SEEG numbers have plateaued as a result of these challenges.
CONCLUSION: The study puts into real numbers the challenges faced by the region in accessing SEEG. SEEG remains highly underutilized and future approaches should focus on regional training and referral pathways.