Under such a medical term as "sclerosis of the hippocampus", experts understand one of the forms of epileptic pathology caused by damage to the limbic system of the brain. The disease is also known as mesial temporal sclerosis.
The indicated pathological process cannot be considered independent. Hippocampal sclerosis has specific symptoms and causes of development. It is associated with such a key pathology as epilepsy.
The essence of the pathological process
With the development of sclerosis, unaffected organs and soft tissues are replaced by a connective tissue that has a dense structure. Such factors as the development of the inflammatory process, age, deterioration of the immune system and addictions are capable of provoking this mechanism. In this regard, taking into account the area of development of the pathological process, tuberous or atherosclerosis, sclerosis of cerebral vessels, etc. are isolated.
What is mesial temporal sclerosis
With this type of pathologythere is a loss of neurons and scarring of the deepest tissues of the temporal region. As a key cause of hippocampal sclerosis, experts call a severe degree of brain injury. In this case, the pathological process can be observed both in the left and right temporal regions.
Damage to brain structures as a result of trauma, the development of an infectious process, the appearance of a neoplasm, oxygen deficiency or uncontrollable seizures contribute to scarring of tissues, for example, the temporal lobe. According to statistics, about 70% of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy have temporal mesial sclerosis.
Factors of disease development
As key reasons that can lead to the development of the indicated disease, experts cite:
- Hereditary factor. Those people whose parents or relatives suffered from manifestations of multiple sclerosis or temporal lobe epilepsy are more likely to develop mesial temporal sclerosis.
- Convulsions of a febrile nature, which lead to certain disorders of the metabolic process. Against this background, there is swelling of the cortex of the temporal lobe and the destruction of neuronal cells, tissues atrophy and the volume of the hippocampus decreases.
- Various mechanical damage, such as a fracture of the skull, blows to the head or a collision can lead to irreversible disorders and the development of the indicated pathology.
- Destructive habits, expressed in the abuse of alcoholic beverages or drugsaddictions, contribute to the destruction of brain cells and disruption of neural connections. Thus, chronic alcoholism and hippocampal sclerosis can be combined by a causal relationship.
- Past trauma, such as abnormal development of the temporal region during fetal development, or trauma sustained during labor.
- Oxygen deficiency in brain tissue.
- Infectious process, such as meningitis, encephalitis and other inflammatory processes in the tissues of the brain.
- Intoxication of the body for a long time.
- Impaired blood circulation in the tissues of the brain.
As risk factors that can provoke the indicated pathological process, experts identify:
- cerebral stroke;
- hypertensive processes;
- presence of diabetes;
- age - as experience shows, older people are diagnosed with this disease much more often than young people.
Observed clinical picture
The development of mesial temporal sclerosis can provoke focal epilepsy. Epileptic seizures may begin with a person experiencing strange sensations, hallucinations or illusions, which subsequently turn into a numb gaze, as well as food or rotatory impulses. This state can continue for two minutes. As the disease progresses, tonic-clonic seizures occur.
The state of seizures in hippocampal sclerosis is accompanied by such manifestations as:
- changes in behavior;
- decrease in memory ability;
- headache;
- a state of heightened anxiety;
- sleep disorders;
- panic attack state.
Patients with this diagnosis have impaired cognitive skills, including memory, thinking and concentration. An epileptic state, as a result of which there is a violation of the functioning of the brain, can provoke an unexpected loss of consciousness, as well as disruption of the vegetative-cardiac system.
When epileptic seizures occur, patients experience auditory or vestibular hallucinations, which occurs against the background of belching and one-sided twitching of the face. These patients have learning difficulties and impaired memory. These people are characterized by an increased sense of duty, conflict and emotional lability.
Diagnostic measures
Neurologists are engaged in diagnosing the indicated condition. It is this specialist who should be contacted in case of manifestation of the clinical picture described above. During the first visit, the attending physician will talk with the patient to collect an anamnesis. During the dialogue, the doctor evaluates the intellectual capabilities of the patient and determines the behavioral traits. If emotional or intellectual deviations are detected, the patient is referred to a psychiatrist for examination.
Along with thisthe medical specialist will undertake a series of manipulations to assess the patient's reflexes:
- in the knee joint;
- at the carpo-radial joint;
- as well as the reflex function of the biceps of the shoulders.
During the diagnosis, the patient undergoes the following tests:
- Electroencephalogram allows you to identify existing foci of the pathological impulse of the brain.
- CT and MRI make it possible to take a layered image of the brain and other structures of the skull.
- Angiography determines the presence of abnormalities in the blood flow of the brain.
- ECHO - an encephalogram, which is relevant if the patients are newborns or young children.
Therapeutic interventions
In order to treat hippocampal sclerosis, anticonvulsants are mainly used. In this case, only the attending physician should prescribe the intake and dosage of the drug. Self-treatment in this situation is excluded.
It is important to note that the absence of seizures indicates that the patient is on the way to recovery. The dosage of drugs in this case is reduced if there are no seizures for 2 years. Cancellation of medication is allowed only if convulsions are completely absent for 5 years. In this situation, drug treatment is intended to ensure overall recovery.
Surgery
If conservativetherapy did not bring proper results, then surgical treatment of hippocampal sclerosis is prescribed. In the indicated pathological processes, several types of surgical intervention are used. Under the circumstances, a temporal lobotomy is usually resorted to.
In the process of lobotomy, the surgeon excised the affected area of the brain. Before an operation is performed on the right for hippocampal sclerosis or surgery on the left, the doctor must make sure that the excised part of the brain is not responsible for the vital functions of the body. In a lobotomy, the surgeon removes a specific part of the temporal lobe.
If the procedure was performed by an experienced and qualified specialist, then a positive effect is manifested in about 55-95% of patients.
The purpose of surgery for hippocampal sclerosis
The purpose of surgical intervention in the indicated pathology is to save the patient from seizures and cancel or reduce the dosage of the drug. Statistics show that 20% of patients who undergo surgery stop taking anticonvulsant drugs. In addition, in the presence of seizures, patients are always at risk of sudden death. This fact is also one of the reasons for the surgical intervention.
In the case of surgery, there is always a risk of neurological deficit, which is minimized with the proper experience of the surgeon. One of the main problems from this point of view remains the possibility of memory impairment in patients.
Prevention measures
To reduce the frequency of seizures, experts recommend taking prescribed medications regularly, as well as:
- Observe the regime of rest and sleep, it is necessary to go to bed and wake up at the same time.
- Adhere to a diet that limits spicy, s alty, fried foods, and fluids.
- Refuse the consumption of alcoholic beverages, alcohol-containing products lead to the development of many different diseases.
- Exclude the consumption of tobacco products - tobacco and combustion products negatively affect all body systems.
- Avoid overheating or hypothermia of the body, for this you should exclude visiting baths and saunas, sunbathing in the open sun.
- No tea and coffee consumption.
Conclusion and conclusions
All the proposed measures will help maintain the condition at an adequate level and reduce or completely eliminate the frequency of attacks. Thus, when hippocampal sclerosis is diagnosed, surgical treatment and recovery play an important role in maintaining the he alth of the patient for the rest of his life.
As you know, everyone should be attentive to their own he alth. This statement is especially true for people diagnosed with hippocampal sclerosis.
