title: Short-term cognitive changes after unilateral temporal lobectomy or unilateral amygdalo-hippocampectomy for the relief of temporal lobe epilepsy.
abstract: Forty two patients who had unilateral temporal lobe surgery (either temporal lobectomy or amygdalo-hippocampectomy) were evaluated using a selection of cognitive tests before and soon after surgery, to examine whether the amygdalo-hippocampectomy produces less cognitive impairment than the standard en bloc resection. On specific indices of cognitive functioning an amygdalo-hippocampectomy rather than a temporal lobectomy, undertaken on the temporal lobe thought to mediate that particular function, produced less impairment, in terms of change in cognitive function resulting from the operation. An amygdalo-hippocampectomy carried out on the temporal lobe not thought to mediate such skills, however, resulted in less improvement or more deterioration in these functions than a temporal lobectomy, except in the case of delayed prose recall, where a right amygdalo-hippocampectomy led to more improvement than a right temporal lobectomy. Overall there were few scores which distinguished between the different surgical procedures for cognitive outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, UK.
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Polkey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011612:Psychosurgery; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*