Memory function decline over 18 months after selective amygdalohippocampectomy

• Published in: Epileptic disorders Vol. 6; no. 2; pp. 115 - 120
• Main Authors: Ogino, Tatsuya, Ohtsuka, Yoko, Ido, Yumiko, Mayanagi, Yoshiaki, Watanabe, Eiju, Oka, Eiji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France 01-06-2004
• Subjects: Adult; Amygdala - surgery; Disease Progression; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - surgery; Female; Hippocampus - surgery; Humans; Memory Disorders - diagnosis; Memory Disorders - etiology; Neuropsychological Tests; Neurosurgical Procedures - methods; Postoperative Complications
• ISSN: 1294-9361; 1950-6945
• DOI: 10.1684/j.1950-6945.2004.tb00058.x

We report on a 22 year-old woman with left temporal lobe epilepsy who had suffered complex partial seizures since childhood. At 19 years 10 months of age she underwent selective amygdalohippocampectomy, which resulted in a complete cessation of seizures. Preoperatively, the Logical Memory II section of the WMS-R revealed poor logical memory function. Postoperatively, the patient's scores on several neuropsychological tests had deteriorated, namely, the Miyake Paired-Associate Word Learning Test (related and unrelated pairs), several sections of the WMS-R (Figural Memory, Logical memory I, Visual Reproduction II, Visual Paired Associates I, and Verbal Paired Associates I and II), and the BVRT-R. In particular, her scores on the Visual Paired Associates I, Verbal Paired Associates I and II sections of the WMS-R, and the BVRT-R not only declined at one and three months post-surgery, but also showed progressive deterioration at 16 and 18 months post-surgery. It should be kept in mind that selective amygdalohippocampectomy can result in progressive postoperative, deterioration in some aspects of memory function.