Surgical treatment of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: comparative results of selective amygdalohippocampectomy versus anterior temporal lobectomy from a referral center in Brazil

INTRODUCTION Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) is a high prevalence neurological disorder and tends to drug refractoriness. Surgery has emerged as a promising treatment for managing seizures and a better quality of life for these patients. The objective of this work is to compare the surgical results in terms of seizure control concerning the surgical technique performed (Anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) vs. Selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SAH)) in a cohort of 132 patients operated in an epilepsy reference center. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective study based on the review of medical records of 146 patients operated for TLE from 2008 to 2019 at the Santa Casa de Misericordia in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Initially, 13 patients were excluded from the study due to insufficient medical record data or follow-up loss. One patient was excluded from the analysis of the results due to death in the first postoperative week. We used the ILAE scale to classify seizure control after surgery. In patients with left hippocampal sclerosis, the most selective approach was performed (SAH), and in right temporal lobe epilepsy, ATL was the approach of choice. We compared the surgical groups using the survival and Kaplan-Maier curves. RESULTS A total of 132 patients were evaluated in this study, with a mean follow-up time after surgery of 57.2 months (12-137). In our data analysis, we found that the group of patients undergoing ATL had a higher prevalence of being completely seizure-free (ILAE I) (57.1% vs. 31%) and a higher rate of satisfactory seizure control (88.6% vs. 69.3%) p =0,006, when compared to patients undergoing SAH. CONCLUSION The literature is still controversial about seizure control results concerning the surgical technique used due to the lack of studies with a robust methodology for an adequate comparison. Our data analysis identified the superiority of ATL over SAH in seizure outcomes. ATL may be the best option for adequately controlling seizures with minimal additional morbidity in countries with a cost limitation for extended propaedeutics.