A recent study published by Dr. Mark Quigg and associates reported that Gamma knife radiosurgery may be as effective in treating seizures as the gold standard anterior temporal lobotomy for treating mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.  Thirty patients enrolled in a 3-year multi-center study were treated with gamma knife radiosurgery.  The temporal portion of the amygdala, the anterior 2 cm of the hippocampal gyrus and adjacent parahippocampal gyrus were the treatment targets.

The 30 patients were randomized into low dose and high dose volumes.  More than 50% were females with a mean age of 34 years.  Patients were followed every three months for 18-24 months post-procedure.  A greater proportion of those who underwent high-dose surgery were seizure free at 24 months.  However, due to sample size, the differences were not statistically significant.  Dr. Quigg noted that the strength of the study lies in the uniformity of surgical targets for the interventions.  Some of the patients did require supplemental use of AEDs for auras and also steroids for edema/headaches.