Psychiatric Alterations after Previous Temporal Lobectomy: Report of Cases and Review

• Published in: Revista Colombiana de psiquiatria (English ed.) 2020
• Main Authors: Camargo Camargo, Loida, Tejada Angarita, Karen Sofía, Suarez Marin, Mauro Marcelo, Fandiño Franky, Jaime
• Format: Report
• Language: eng ; spa
• ISSN: 2530-3120
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rcp.2020.05.001

INTRODUCTIONAnterior temporal lobectomy (LTA) is a surgical procedure commonly used for the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy refractory to medical management, with high success rates in the control of seizures. However, an important association with psychiatric illnesses has been described that can alter the postoperative outcome in these patients. METHODSA series of 2 cases of patients who, despite successful crisis control, developed psychiatric complications in the postoperative period of anterior temporal lobectomy. RESULTSThe cases included a male patient with no history of previous mental illness, who developed a major depressive episode in the postoperative period, and a female patient with previous psychosis who presented as a surgical complication exacerbation of psychosis, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONSPsychiatric disorders can occur in postoperative temporal lobe epilepsy patients with or without a history of mental illness. The most frequent alterations reported are depression, anxiety, psychosis and personality disorders. The inclusion of psychiatric evaluations in the pre- and post-surgical protocols can lead to an improvement in the prognosis of the neurological and mental outcomes of the patients undergoing the intervention.