Background and objectives: The advent of high-resolution MRI with a dedicated epilepsy protocol improves the ability to identify possible structural abnormalities that underlie seizure disorders. The aims of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic
efficacy of standard MRI, identify whether there is an increase in the diagnostic yield with the addition of dedicated seizure protocol, and compare the diagnostic yields of MRI and electroencephalogram (EEG) individually and in combination. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytic study, included 100 cases who presented with seizure over 18 months. Patients underwent complete neurological examination, EEG, and MRI with a standard and dedicated epilepsy protocol. Results: We found epileptogenic lesions in MRI in 55.5. Mesial temporal lobe sclerosis was the most common epileptogenic lesion (45.5%). The diagnostic efficacy of MRI had increased with dedicated epilepsy protocol compared to standard protocol. Abnormal MRI and EEG were compatible in 21%. Conclusion and implications: Dedicated epilepsy protocol increased the diagnostic efficacy of brain MRI in detecting a structural epileptogenic lesion, with 100% of mesial temporal sclerosis, the most common lesion in our study, was detected only in dedicated epilepsy protocol and missed in standard protocol.
