1 ABSTRACT The presented dissertation deals with prognostic factors influencing a favorable postoperative outcome in patients undergoing surgical treatment of epilepsy and the possibilities of improving the methods used in the localization of epileptogenic lesions. This work is based on the results of four published studies. The first study evaluated the factors influencing the long-term outcomes of epilepsy surgery in MRI-negative (nonlesional) extratemporal lobe epilepsy (nETLE). The aim of the study was to evaluate the benefit of non-invasive diagnostic tests and their relationship with a favorable surgical outcome in a group nETLE patients. Univariate analysis showed that localized interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) on the scalp EEG were associated with a favorable surgical outcome. Diagnostic difficulty in this group of patients is highlighted by the fact that, although 9 of 24 patients undergoing surgery had a favorable outcome, and only nine of 85 patients with nETLE achieved such a favorable outcome. The second work evaluated the benefit of SPECT (Single Photon Emission Tomography) statistical processing over traditional subtraction methods in patients with MRI-negative temporal lobe epilepsy (nTLE) and MRI-negative extratemporal epilepsy (nETLE). 49 consecutive patients who underwent...

[pt] Em aproximadamente um terço dos pacientes com epilepsia, a cirurgia é única forma de intervenção para diminuição dos impactos ou término das crises. Em pacientes sem um foco lesional na imagem por ressonância magnética, essa intervenção depende de outros métodos investigativos, que nem sempre estão prontamente disponíveis. Nesses casos, métodos avançados de pós-processamento e de sequências de imagens podem ajudar a detectar lesões. O objetivo dessa revisão sistemática foi resumir a disponibilidade e taxas de sucesso dessas técnicas. De acordo com as diretrizes PRISMA, usando as bases de dados PubMED, Web of Science, PsycNET e CENTRAL, uma busca por artigos foi conduzida até o dia 12 de janeiro de 2021. No total, a busca retornou 4.024 artigos, com 49 permanecendo após a revisão. Vinte e cinco artigos usaram alguma forma de voxel-based morphometry, 14 usaram machine learning e 10 usaram técnicas avançadas de MRI. Apenas um artigo descreveu um estudo prospectivo. A taxa de detecção de lesões variou bastante entre estudos, com técnicas de machine learning demonstrando taxas mais consistentes, todas acima de 50 por cento em grupos de pacientes com imagem negativa. Isso pode ser útil em centros onde outros métodos investigativos, como PET, SPECT, MEG ou sEEG não estão prontamente acessíveis. / [en] In approximately one third of patients with epilepsy, surgery is the only form of intervention to diminish seizure burden or achieve seizure freedom. In patients without a lesional focus on MRI, surgical intervention depends on other investigative methods, not always readily accessible. Advanced MRI postprocessing and acquisition methods may help with lesion localization in those cases. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the availability and success rate of such MRI techniques. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, using PubMED, Web of Science, PsycNET, and CENTRAL, a search for papers was performed until the 12th of January of 2021. In total, the search returned 4,024 papers, of which 49 remained after revision. Twenty-five used a form of voxelbased morphometry, 14 used machine learning techniques, and 10 used advanced MRI sequences not commonly part of the standard MRI-protocol. Only one paper described a prospective study. The lesion detection rate greatly varied between studies, with machine learning techniques showing a more consistent rate, all above 50 percent in MRI-negative groups. This could be particularly helpful in center where other investigative methods, including PET, SPECT, MEG and stereo EEG are not readily available.