Verbal memory decline is less frequent at 10 years than at 2 years after temporal lobe surgery for epilepsy

• Published in: Epilepsy & behavior Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 462 - 467
• Main Authors: Andersson-Roswall, Lena, Malmgren, Kristina, Engman, Elisabeth, Samuelsson, Hans
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2012
• Subjects: 1995; adequacy; Anterior Temporal Lobectomy - adverse effects; archives of clinical neuropsychology; cognitive change; Cohort Studies; Disease Progression; elune gj; Epilepsy - surgery; Female; follow-up; Humans; Individual changes; lobectomy; Long-term follow-up; Male; Memory; Memory Disorders - diagnosis; Memory Disorders - etiology; Mental Recall - physiology; mri; Neurologi; Neurology; Neuropsychological assessment; Neuropsychological Tests; p413; Postoperative Complications - physiopathology; reliability; Reproducibility of Results; resection; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors; v10; Verbal Learning - physiology; Long-term follow-up; Individual changes; Epilepsy surgery; Neuropsychological assessment; Memory
• ISSN: 1525-5050; 1525-5069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2012.05.015

Abstract We investigated individual short- and long-term verbal memory changes after temporal lobe resection for epilepsy. Fifty-one patients (23 operated on the speech-dominant temporal lobe, DTL and 28 on the non-dominant temporal lobe, NDTL) were tested on learning/immediate recall and delayed recall of word-list and word-pairs preoperatively, 2 years postoperatively and 10 years postoperatively. Changes were defined using reliable change indices of 23 healthy controls assessed at corresponding intervals. Fewer patients had reliable declines at 10 years than at 2 years (DTL: 13–35% vs 35–44%; NDTL: 0–4% vs 7–21%). Four DTL patients (17%) had reliable declines in ≥ 2 tests at 10-year follow-up. More NDTL patients had improvement at 10 years than at 2 years (18–30% vs 4–22%). The only risk factor for decline both short and long term was DTL resection. In conclusion, most patients had stable verbal memory postoperatively. A few DTL patients had a lasting decline at long-term follow-up, but more patients showed partial recovery, especially in the NDTL group.