Excessively elevated C-reactive protein after surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE

We present a series of 87 patients who underwent anteromesial temporal lobe resections for therapy refractory temporal lobe epilepsy. In addition to seizure outcome, we observed excessively elevated CRP-levels in this patient population.

METHODS

We followed 87 patients (m=39, f=48; mean age 33.73±12.92, range 5-67 years) who underwent surgery between July 2003 and November 2011. Seizure outcome was classified in all patients according to the ILAE-classification by Wieser et al. (mean follow-up: 38.72 months). CRP levels were measured in 59 patients of the epilepsy surgery group and in a control group of 44 consecutive patients with supratentorial tumors (22 glioblastomas, 22 meningiomas).

RESULTS

Clinical benefit was seen in 96.6% of the patients (ILAE classes 1-4), 80.5% were completely seizure free (ILAE class 1). Post-OP CRP values were significantly higher in the epilepsy group (n=59; mean CRP peak value: 100.86 mg/l, range: 16-258 mg/l) compared to the control group (n=44; mean CRP peak value: 36.85 mg/l, range: 0.4-233 mg/l) (p<0.001), but the correlation of mean CRP value and mean temperature peak is weak (r=0.31).

CONCLUSIONS

Seizure outcome after surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy was excellent, CRP levels were excessively elevated in these patients in the absence of clinical infection and significantly higher compared to resections of supratentorial lesions.