Epilepsy surgery for pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy: a decision analysis.
BACKGROUND
Patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy have increased mortality compared with the general population, but patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy who meet criteria for surgery and who become seizure-free after anterior temporal lobe resection have reduced excess mortality vs those with persistent seizures.


OBJECTIVE
To quantify the potential survival benefit of anterior temporal lobe resection for patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy vs continued medical management.


METHODS
Monte Carlo simulation model that incorporates possible surgical complications and seizure status, with 10,000 runs. The model was populated with health-related quality-of-life data obtained directly from patients and data from the medical literature. Insufficient data were available to assess gamma-knife radiosurgery or vagal nerve stimulation.


METHODS
Life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy.


RESULTS
Compared with medical management, anterior temporal lobe resection for a 35-year-old patient with an epileptogenic zone identified in the anterior temporal lobe would increase survival by 5.0 years (95% CI, 2.1-9.2) with surgery preferred in 100% of the simulations. Anterior temporal lobe resection would increase quality-adjusted life expectancy by 7.5 quality-adjusted life-years (95%, CI, -0.8 to 17.4) with surgery preferred in 96.5% of the simulations, primarily due to increased years spent without disabling seizures, thereby reducing seizure-related excess mortality and improving quality of life. The results were robust to sensitivity analyses.


CONCLUSIONS
The decision analysis model suggests that on average anterior temporal lobe resection should provide substantial gains in life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy for surgically eligible patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy compared with medical management.
Choi
Hyunmi
H
Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. hc323@columbia.edu
Sell
Randall L
RL
Lenert
Leslie
L
Muennig
Peter
P
Goodman
Robert R
RR
Gilliam
Frank G
FG
Wong
John B
JB
D000328:Adult; D038481:Anterior Temporal Lobectomy; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011788:Quality of Life; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D012008:Recurrence; D012640:Seizures; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D000927:Anticonvulsants