EFFECTS OF LEFT TEMPORAL LOBECTOMY AND AMYGDALOHIPPOCAMPECTOMY ON MEMORY

This study examined the effects of left (dominant) temporal lobe surge ry on verbal and visual memory in 38 patients with temporal lobe epile psy. Twenty-five patients had anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) and 13 had selective amygdalohippocampectomy (AH). All were administered the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and a Complex Figure Test preoperat ively and 1 year after surgery. ATL resulted in better seizure control overall, The ATL group as a whole showed a greater postoperative decl ine of their verbal memory than the AH group. A closer examination of the ATL patients showed there was a subgroup (n = Il)with better preop erative memory functioning that had the most significant decline. In c ontrast, only three patients in the AH group had better preoperative m emory, and the majority (n = 10) matched the 'memory impaired' ATL pat ients. The changes in memory performance of the 'memory impaired' ATL and AH patients did not reach statistical significance. Postoperativel y all patient groups improved in their verbal fluency. (C) Pearson Pro fessional Ltd 1997.