Abstracts

The aim of this study is to analyze declarative memory changes in temporal lobe refractory epilepsy patients, before and after anterior temporal lobectomy. We selected 30 patients (p.) with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy surgically treated between January 2000 and December 2003. All the patients were evaluated, before and 6 months after surgery, with a Neuropsychological Protocol that includes the assessment of intelligence, attention, handedness, verbal memory, visual memory, language and executive function. A z-score were applied to raw values for each patient. These results were compared with normal population according to age and education. Patients were classified as [ldquo]normal[rdquo] when tests results presented values above z-2. After surgery, a chi-square test were applied in order to analyzed both samples. From the total population evaluated, 73% (22p.) have memory deficits. Patients were divided in 2 groups for their analysis: Patients with left anterior temporal lobectomy (LATL) (n=13) and patients with right anterior temporal lobectomy (RATL) (n=17). After surgery, on LATL group, 3 p. presented with a significant decline on declarative memory while 3 p. improved on verbal memory. Two p. presented a significant decline on visual memory and 7 p. remained without changes. On RATL group, after surgery, 2 p. improved significantly their visual memory deficits, 2 p. presented no significant changes on visual memory, 2 p. have a significant verbal memory deficit and 9 p. were normal. One year after surgery, 23 patients (77%) were in Engel[acute]s class I. On the studied patients the neuropsychological profile was characterized by material-specific (verbal/visual) memory deficits. After surgery we found a variable outcome with a better prognosis on RATL group, as was described by other authors on the English-speaking population. We also analyze memory findings produced by temporal lobe epilepsy and surgery, in the framework of the declarative/ procedural memory model.