title: Surgery for intractable temporal lobe epilepsy: experience of a single institution.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In the treatment of epilepsy, encouraging results have been achieved with surgical treatment, especially for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Drug resistance must be diagnosed as early as possible, because the ensuing seizures can be eliminated surgically via temporal lobe surgery in a high percentage (70%-90%) of patients. In this study we share our experience, in a single institution, of surgical treatment of intractable TLE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between March 2006 and November 2010 we performed 127 corticoamygdalohippocampectomy (CAH) procedures. All CAH surgical procedures were done as described by Niemeyer's technique. Resection lengths were 4-4.5 cm from the temporal pole.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of 24 months, 79.7% (n = 94) patients were still on antiepileptic medications, with 55 of them on a decreased number or dose of drugs, and 20.3 (n = 24) patients were antiepileptic drug-free. Postoperative Engel's classes were 1, 2, and 3 in 87.2%, 5.08%, and 7.6%, respectively. There was no mortality in follow-up, and dysphasia in 1 patient (0.84%) was the only morbidity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our series we found that the outcome of surgery is associated with careful patient selection, which requires a detailed investigation of the patients. Our final conclusion is that outcome scores are independent of age, pathology, or sex but are dependent on correct patient selection.
authors.forename: Gökhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tönge
authors.forename: Emrah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Çeltıkçı
authors.forename: Irem
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Çapraz
authors.forename: Ayşe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serdaroğlu
authors.forename: Erhan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bılır
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants