Psychosocial status before and after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery: a prospective clinical study

The purpose of this prospective work was to evaluate the relationship between seizure outcome and psychosocial status in patients who underwent temporal lobe epilepsy surgery for medically intractable seizure.

The Liverpool Psychosocial Battery, which includes physical, social, and psychological domains, was completed by 63 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy before surgery, as well as 6 months and 2 years after surgery. The differences regarding the Liverpool Psychosocial Battery domains were compared between seizure-free and nonseizure-free patients at 6 months and 2 years after surgery. Serial follow-up results were also compared with the baseline.

On all measures, patients showed significantly better scores after surgery compared with the baseline (P < 0.05). Although seizure-free patients showed improved "psychosocial" outcome over those who continued to have seizures, the differences did not reach a significant level on social and psychological domains.

Surgery has significantly positive effects on psychosocial outcome in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. However, positive psychosocial changes are not limited to those patients who became seizure free after surgery.