title: Outcome after epilepsy surgery at the University Hospitals Leuven 1998-2012.
abstract: We performed a retrospective outcome study of 199 patients who underwent resective epilepsy surgery from 1998 to 2012 and had a minimum of one-year follow-up at the University Hospitals Leuven. Our aim was to assess seizure outcome, prognostic factors for seizure outcome and complication rate. Good seizure outcome after surgery was 38 % at 5 years and 34 % at 10 years follow-up. Good seizure outcome over the previous year at last follow-up, however, was 77 %, which could be explained by the 'running-down phenomenon', i.e. seizure freedom after initial recurrent epilepsy in 32 % of the patients, mainly after temporal lobe surgery. Good seizure outcome for at least 1 year at the last visit was 82 % for temporal and 62 % for extra-temporal lobe interventions. Other variables predictive of a good seizure outcome were not identified. Permanent complications of epilepsy surgery were observed in 31 %. The most important were word finding difficulties (22 %), depression (18 %) and memory deficits (12 %). In conclusion, epilepsy surgery is an excellent treatment option for selected patients, with a good seizure outcome in around 80 % of patients and complications in about 30 %.
authors: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. lynn.vermeulen@uzleuven.be.
authors: Lynn
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3903-8466
authors: L
authors: Vermeulen
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: van Loon
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Tom
authors: T
authors: Theys
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Goffin
authors: Department of Neuropsychology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Porke
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Koen
authors: K
authors: Van Laere
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Karolien
authors: K
authors: Goffin
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Mathieu
authors: M
authors: Vandenbulcke
authors: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Vincent
authors: V
authors: Thijs
authors: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Wim
authors: W
authors: Van Paesschen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Complications; Epilepsy surgery; Outcome; Prognostic factors; Refractory focal epilepsy; Seizure freedom