Long-term outcomes of epilepsy surgery in tuberous sclerosis complex

Approximately 50% of patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) present intractable epilepsy, and surgery is an option for those patients. Hereby, we analyze long-term seizure control and neuropsychological outcomes of epilepsy surgery in patients with TSC. Clinical data were retrospectively collected from 66 patients with TSC and epilepsy followed up over 5 years, 51 of whom underwent epilepsy surgery between 2001 and 2011. Reductions in the number of seizures were analyzed at 1-year (1FU), 5-year (5FU), and 10-year (10FU) follow-ups visits after the operation. Influential factors on postoperative seizure free and intelligence quotient (IQ) and quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes were evaluated at 5FU. Resective procedures included 26 tuber resections, 15 lobectomies, and 10 tuber resections and lobectomies. Corpus callosotomies were performed as the adjunctive approach in 11 cases with low IQ. The percentages of seizure-free cases were 74.5% at 1FU, 58.8% at 5FU, and 47.8% at 10FU, and the predictive factor for long-term postoperative seizure freedom was the history of preoperative seizures and preoperative full-scale IQ. Significant improvements were found in performance IQ, full-scale IQ, and QOL in patients from the surgery group, particularly those who were seizure free after the operation. Our study showed that epilepsy surgery in TSC with epilepsy rendered improvements in seizure control, full-scale IQ, and QOL. Satisfactory long-term seizure control was often achieved with an early operation and without mental retardation, and improvements in QOL and IQ were frequently observed in postoperative patients who remained seizure free.