Reading impairment in an adolescent with temporo-occipital epilepsy. Pre- and post-surgical evaluation

We present a 16 year-old right-handed case who underwent a left temporo-occipital resection to treat intractable epilepsy. Pre- and post-surgical evaluations showed an average intellectual quotient, preserved abilities in language and visuo-spatial functions and increased reading and spelling deficits (difficulties with irregular words, homophones and phonologically valid spelling errors of irregularly spelled words, associated with preserved performances in non-words). This pattern of characteristic lexical route deficits highlights the major role of the temporo-occipital areas in reading acquisition. We discussed the consequences of temporo-occipital dysfunction on reading.