title: Subtemporal amygdalohippocampectomy prevents verbal memory impairment in the language-dominant hemisphere.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this report, we show the operative and neuropsychological results for 20 patients with medically intractable nonlesional temporal lobe epilepsy treated surgically by subtemporal amygdalohippocampectomy whose mean postoperative follow-up period was more than 6 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre- and postoperative Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS/-R) scores, including verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ), performance IQ (PIQ) and full-scale IQ (FIQ) scores, were determined in the 19 adults. The revised Wechsler Intelligent Scale for Children was used in a 9-year-old boy. The verbal paired associates learning test was performed pre- and postoperatively in 15 patients. These data were compared pre- and postoperatively in 10 patients in whom the language-dominant hemisphere side was operated on, and in 5 patients in whom the language-non-dominant side was operated on.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seizure control was achieved in 80% of patients, with improvement into Engel categories I and II without definite permanent complications except for postoperative memory impairment in one patient. VIQ improved after 2 years, and PIQ and FIQ improved after both 2 months and 2 years postoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no significant decline in the postoperative verbal memory scores in those patients whose medial temporal structure of the language-dominant side had been removed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. thori@nij.twmu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tomokatsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yamane
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Motohiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Takaomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged