Memory function decline over 18 months after selective amygdalohippocampectomy

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.