Temporal lobectomy for refractory epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the long-term effectiveness of anterior temporal lobectomy for refractory epilepsy with regard to seizure control and related medical and psychosocial measures and to determine how patterns of early seizure recurrence relate to long-term prognosis.


METHODS
A cohort of patients prospectively followed up for 5 years after surgery.


METHODS
Tertiary care comprehensive epilepsy center.


METHODS
Eighty-nine patients with medically refractory epilepsy who were consecutively treated with anterior temporal lobectomy between 1986 and 1990. All patients had noninvasive preoperative evaluations, and 31 were evaluated with intracranial electrodes prior to surgery.


METHODS
Postoperative seizure frequency, neuropsychologic function, mortality, and postoperative employment status.


RESULTS
Five years after surgery, 62 patients (70 percent) were seizure free, 8 (9 percent) had seizures on fewer than 3 days per year or exclusively had nocturnal seizures, 10 (11 percent) had greater than 80 percent reduction in seizure frequency, 5 (6 percent) had less than 80 percent reduction in seizure frequency, and 4 (4 percent) died of causes unrelated to surgery. The proportion of patients in each outcome class remained stable throughout the 5-year period. Fifty-five percent of seizure recurrences happened within 6 months of surgery, and 93 percent occurred within 2 years after surgery. Outcome at 1 year related only moderately well to outcome at 5 years. No significant cognitive or linguistic deficits occurred. All patients who died had persistent seizures after surgery. Underemployment and unemployment declined significantly after surgery, with improvement noted in seizure-free patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Temporal lobectomy provides sustained seizure relief over 5 years to most patients who have surgery. Outcome at 2 years predicts long-term outcome. A seizure-free state is associated with reduced mortality and increased employment. Mere reduction in seizure frequency is not associated with improvement in those measures.
Sperling
M R
MR
Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Graduate Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA.
O'Connor
M J
MJ
Saykin
A J
AJ
Plummer
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004651:Employment; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012640:Seizures; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000927:Anticonvulsants