476 Middle Cranial Fossa Encephaloceles With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: An Underdiagnosed Entity

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Temporal lobe epilepsy with encephalocele (TLEE) is a lesional epilepsy increasingly recognized as underdiagnosed. Here we report our experience with TLEE-associated epilepsy managed with both traditional ATL with AH compared to a targeted lesionectomy of the encephalocele. METHODS: We used a prospectively maintained database of surgical epilepsy patients to identify all patients with TLEE-associated epilepsy managed over a 13-year interval using ATL with AH, ATL only, or a targeted encephalocele-only lesionectomy. Details regarding epilepsy, neuropsychology, management, complications, and outcomes at the last follow-up were compiled. RESULTS: 793 surgical epilepsy patients were evaluated, with 56 (7.1%) demonstrating TLEE. The average age of epilepsy onset was 31.7 years (range 2-57); the age at the time of surgery was 38.3 years (range 15-69). Twenty-one patients (37.5%) were managed with ATL with AH, 20 (35.7%) with temporal pole resection without AH, and 15 (26.7%) with targeted lesionectomy/LITT of the temporal encephalocele. Forty-seven patients (84%) had good surgical epilepsy outcomes with no significant difference in modality. Targeted lesionectomy demonstrated significantly greater language preservation (p = 0.046) and verbal memory (p = 0.038) when compared to more extensive surgical resections. CONCLUSIONS: TLEE is an overlooked and underreported etiology of epilepsy. In select cases, good surgical epilepsy outcomes can be achieved with targeted lesionectomy of the encephalocele when the epilepsy network is not widespread.