Temporal lobectomy: long-term seizure outcome, late recurrence and risks for seizure recurrence

There is little information available relevant to long-term seizure outcome after anterior temporal lobectomy, parti-cularly at extended postoperative periods. The aim of this study was an in-depth examination of patterns of longitud-inal outcome and potential risk factors for seizure recur-rence after lobectomy, utilizing a large patient sample with long follow-up. Included were 325 patients who underwent anterior temporal lobectomybetween1978and1998 (mean follow-up 9.6 6 4.2 years). Retrospective data were ana-lysed using survival analysis and multivariate regression with Cox proportional hazard models. The probability of complete seizure freedom at 2 years post-surgery was 55.3 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 50–61]; at 5 years, 47.7%(95%CI42–53); and at 10 postoperative years itwas 41 % (95%CI 36–48). Patients with discrete abnormalitie