Reports by patients and their families of memory change after left anterior temporal lobectomy: relationship to degree of hippocampal sclerosis.

Memory decline represents the primary neuropsychological morbidity of anterior temporal lobectomy. Recent investigations using laboratory tests of memory have reported an association between the neuropathological status of the resected left mesial temporal region and memory outcome, with adverse memory outcome associated with a lack of significant left hippocampal pathology. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between the reports by the patients and their families of observed postoperative changes in day-to-day memory function and the degree of hippocampal sclerosis in resected left mesial temporal lobes. Twenty patients and a close family member (parent or spouse) of each of the patients completed standardized questionnaires assessing pre- to postoperative changes in verbal and spatial memory; these were related to the neuropathological findings. The results indicated that patients without left hippocampal sclerosis reported significantly worse memory outcome than those with hippocampal sclerosis. The ratings provided by the relatives of the patients yielded a comparable effect, and objective memory tests supported the reports by the patients and their families. The neuropsychological findings associated with left hippocampal pathology are of clinical significance and should be considered in surgical evaluation and in the counseling process.