Open AccessImpact of surgical intervention on seizure and psychiatric symptoms in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy
Author(s) -
Lokesh R Shahani,
Gregory Cervenka
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr-2019-229242
Subject(s) - epilepsy , irritability , medicine , temporal lobe , psychosis , psychiatry , anterior temporal lobectomy , refractory (planetary science) , antipsychotic , anticonvulsant , pediatrics , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , anxiety , physics , astrobiology
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), a common form of localisation-related epilepsy, is characterised by focal seizures and accompanied by variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms. This form of epilepsy proves difficult to manage as many anticonvulsant and psychotropic medications have little to no effect on controlling the seizure and neuropsychiatric symptoms respectively. The authors, report a patient with TLE and recurrent seizures that were refractory to multiple classes of antiepileptic therapy. Additionally, she exhibited psychosis, depression and irritability that required antipsychotic medication. After several years of poorly controlled seizure disorder, the patient underwent anterior temporal lobectomy and amygdalohippocampectomy, which proved beneficial for seizure control, as well as her neuropsychiatric symptoms. While it is common to treat refractory temporal lobe epilepsy with surgical interventions, there is little literature about it also treating the neuropsychiatric symptoms. This case underscores both the neurological and psychiatric benefits following surgical intervention for patients with TLE.