[Surgical treatment of focal drug-resistant epilepsy associated with temporal lobe encephalocele].

Background: In recent years, temporal lobe encephalocele has become more common in patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy. Despite available experience, there are still no clear recommendations for choosing the extent of surgery in these patients.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of diagnosis and surgical treatment of focal drug-resistant epilepsy associated with temporal lobe encephalocele.

Material and methods: The study included 21 patients with focal temporal lobe epilepsy and temporal lobe encephalocele. All patients underwent continuous video-EEG monitoring and MRI of the brain. There were 12 (57.4%) selective encephalocele resections and 9 (42.6%) anterior temporal lobectomies. The median follow-up period was 31 months.

Results: The overall effectiveness of surgical treatment with postoperative Engel class I was 76% (16 cases). Selective encephalocele resection was followed by postoperative Engel class I in 10 patients (83%). There were 6 (67%) patients with similar outcomes after temporal lobectomy. Mean volume of resected tissue adjacent to encephalocele was 8.3 cm³.

Conclusion: Surgery is a highly effective treatment for patients with epileptic seizures following temporal lobe encephalocele. In our sample, favorable postoperative outcomes were achieved in 76% of patients (Engel class I). There were no significant differences in effectiveness between selective resection and temporal lobectomy. Further research is necessary for a clear protocol of surgical treatment of focal drug-resistant epilepsy associated with encephalocele.