Extratemporal cortical resections and lesionectomies for partial epilepsy: complications of surgical treatment

Fifty patients with medically refractory extratemporal seizures underwent epilepsy surgery at our institution between 1988 and 1992. Twenty-nine patients (group I) had an extratemporal (mainly frontal lobe) corticectomy, and 21 patients (group II) had an epileptogenic lesion extirpated without resection of the epileptic brain tissue. Comprehensive neurologic evaluation was performed preoperatively, soon after operation, and approximately 3 months postoperatively to assess operative outcome. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in group I patients usually showed no abnormality or a large destructive lesion. Neuroimaging showed a foreign tissue lesion in most group II patients. Thirteen of the 29 patients who underwent corticectomy had at least one adverse event (AE) potentially related to operation at the time of initial assessment. Four of the 13 patients required a surgical procedure to treat the operative complication, but only 1 of the 13 patients had a persistent neurologic deficit at follow-up examination. Three of the 21 patients who received lesionectomy had acute and persistent neurologic morbidity. Patients undergoing cortical resection remained intubated longer postoperatively (p < 0.005), and required longer hospitalization after operation (p < 0.001) and in the intensive care unit (p < 0.001) as compared with the lesionectomy group. Results of this study may prove useful in counseling patients regarding neurologic outcome after extratemporal surgery.