Subtemporal amygdalohippocampectomy prevents verbal memory impairment in the language-dominant hemisphere.

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.

CONCLUSION: 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.