Temporal lobe epilepsy. Etiological factors and surgical results

Seventy-four patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, resistant to medication, who in 1960-1969 underwent unilateral temporal lobe resection at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen. In only 12 patients was no etiological factor found. In three-quarters of the patients a peri- or postnatal injury was the suspected etiology of the epilepsy; and in one-third, a history of complications in the actual and/or abnormal outcome of a previous pregnancy was recorded. Only seven patients had experienced febrile convulsions. Patients with certain combinations of etiological factors, including encephalitis, have a poor prognosis regarding relief from seizures. Patients in whom an abnormal outcome of the mother's previous pregnancies is recorded have a poor prognosis as regards psychiatric normalization. Apart from this no correlation has been found between the surgical results and the numbers or types of the various etiological factors.