Electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging and pathology in patients treated surgically for temporal lobe epilepsy.

In a consecutive series of 40 patients selected by EEG studies for surgical treatment of temporal lobe seizures, magnetic resonance imaging showed structural lesions in 25% and signal abnormalities, usually in the mesial temporal region, in another 35%. Pathological changes included structural lesions in over 30% of patients and sclerosis of the amygdala in almost half of the series. These findings further substantiate the implication of the amygdala in the pathogenesis of temporal lobe seizures with automatism and amnesia.