Dynamic changes in white and gray matter volume are associated with outcome of surgical treatment in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Background: The reasons for surgical failure in 30% of patients with unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) are still unclear. We investigated if different outcomes could be associated to different patterns of subtle gray matter atrophy (GMA) and white matter atrophy (WMA), and searched for postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes.

Methods: We studied 69 controls and 67 operated patients with refractory unilateral MTLE.