Wada memory performance predicts seizure outcome following anterior temporal lobectomy

We examined the ability of Wada memory testing to predict seizure outcome 1 year following anterior temporal lobectomy. Asymmetry scores for Wada memory performance, using amobarbital doses of 125 mg or less, were calculated for 55 patients under the age of 45 years who had no radiologic evidence of structural lesions other than gliosis. Wada memory asymmetries were significantly greater (p < 0.02) in patients who were seizure free compared with those who continued to experience seizures. Furthermore, patients with Wada memory score asymmetries of at least three objects (maximum = 8) were more likely to be seizure free compared with patients with Wada memory asymmetries less than three (p < 0.01). Of the 36 patients who had Wada memory score asymmetries of at least three objects, 32 (89%) were seizure free. In contrast, of the 19 patients whose Wada memory score asymmetries were less than three, only 12 (63%) were seizure free. These data suggest that Wada memory performance is related to seizure outcome following anterior temporal lobectomy.