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BACKGROUND: A noninvasive, safe, and economic imaging technique is required to identify epileptogenic lesions in the brain. PURPOSE: Our aim was to perform a meta-analysis evaluating the accuracy of arterial spin-labeling in localizing the epileptic focus in the brain and the changes in the blood perfusion in these regions.DATA SOURCES: Our sources were the PubMed and EMBASE data bases. STUDY SELECTION:English language studies that assessed the diagnostic accuracy of arterial spin-labeling for detecting the epileptogenic zone up to July 2019 were included. DATA ANALYSIS:The symptomatogenic foci of seizures in the brain were determined and used as the references. The relevant studies were evaluated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. The outcomes were evaluated using the pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, pooled accuracy, diagnostic odds ratio, area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve, and likelihood ratio.DATA SYNTHESIS: Six studies that included 174 patients qualified for this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.74 (95% CI, 0.65-0.82), 0.35 (95% CI, 0.03-0.90), and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.69-0.76), respectively. The accuracy of arterial spin-labeling for localizing the epileptic focus was 0.88 (accuracy in arterial spin-labeling/all perfusion changes in arterial spin-labeling) in cases of a positive arterial spin-labeling result. The epileptogenic zone exhibited hyperperfusion or hypoperfusion. LIMITATIONS:Only a few studies were enrolled due to the strict inclusion criteria.CONCLUSIONS: Arterial spin-labeling can be used for assessing, monitoring, and reviewing, postoperatively, patients with epilepsy. Blood perfusion changes in the brain may be closely related to the seizure time and pattern.ABBREVIATIONS: ASL ¼ arterial spin-labeling; QUADAS-2 ¼ Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2; SOZ ¼ seizure onset zone E pilepsy is the most common chronic neurologic disease, characterized by the occurrence of repeat seizures. Several diseases, including brain tumors, hypoxia-related brain diseases, and cerebral cortical dysplasia, can cause epilepsy. Electroencephalography, which identifies the epileptic discharges in the brain, was the earliest method applied for the diagnosis and localization of epileptic disorders. 1,2 The development of imaging technology in recent years has

Object The goal in this study was to investigate early diagnostic evidence, optimal therapeutic strategies, and prophylactic methods for slit ventricle syndrome (SVS) in patients with temporal lobe arachnoid cysts who received cyst-peritoneal (CP) shunts. Methods Six cases of SVS in patients with temporal lobe arachnoid cysts who received CP shunts were treated by the senior authors in 2 institutions between January 2005 and January 2009. The radiological data, treatment process, and therapeutic results were reviewed retrospectively. Results There were 4 boys and 2 girls, whose mean age at presentation was 4 years and 1 month. The main clinical symptoms were severe headache, nausea, vomiting, and decreasing eyesight. Radiological studies showed normal or slightly smaller than normal ventricles, and arachnoid cysts that had shrunk dramatically. The most effective treatment for SVS was to replace the original shunts with devices that had a programmable valve, or if this was unsuccessful, to replace the original shunts with ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts. All symptoms in these patients disappeared, and the mean follow-up duration was 24 months. Conclusions The SVS presents more often in patients with hydrocephalus who undergo VP shunting. However, it is also a serious complication in patients with arachnoid cysts who receive a CP shunt. The SVS is not a single condition; rather, different pathophysiological conditions can underlie this complicated syndrome. Because there are no striking morphological changes on radiological studies of the SVS in the patients with CP shunts, it is not easy for this syndrome to be diagnosed in time and treated rationally. Misdiagnosis and delayed treatment usually occur. The use of programmable shunts or VP shunts to replace the original shunt is an optimal therapeutic choice. The use of low-pressure shunts to treat arachnoid cysts should be abandoned unless dictated by specific indications.