Epilepsia
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We performed a retrospective study of 30 patients with presumed intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) who underwent chronic intracranial EEG monitoring (CIEM). Multicontact depth electrodes were stereotactically implanted through the medial occipital lobe into amygdala and hippocampus. All patients had previously undergone extracranial ictal EEG monitoring that proved inadequate to localize the epileptogenic zone. ⋯ Nine patients (43%) had a class I outcome (seizure-free, auras only, or provoked seizures), 3 patients (14%) had a class II outcome (> or = 95% seizure reduction), 4 patients (19%) had a class III outcome (> or = 50% seizure reduction); and 5 patients (24%) had a class IV outcome (< 50% seizure reduction or no change). A prolonged interhemispheric propagation time (p < 0.01) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-identified hippocampal atrophy (p < 0.01) correlated with a favorable surgical outcome. Results of this study may prove useful in counseling patients who undergo CIEM before temporal lobe surgery.