Relief of seizures from a predominantly posterior temporal tumor with anterior temporal lobectomy.

We report the relief of intractable complex partial seizures in a patient with a posteromesial temporal lobe hamartoma after anterior temporal lobectomy, despite minimal tumor removal. We suggest that the key to successful treatment is the mainly medial, or limbic, location of the tumor, which apparently requires anterior limbic structures for full clinical expression of seizures. We conclude that excision anterior to a posterior temporal lesion can result in seizure relief and that a medial tumor location may be important for successful treatment.