In Health Watch:Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of the condition.And so some patients choose to undergo anti-seizure surgery.Now, a new study shows that in addition to eliminating seizures, the surgery may provide some other significant benefits.Alissa Krinsky explains.Scott Harding, a husband, father, and police detective specialist, had always had good health. But four years ago, he began having seizures.He was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of epilepsy.Scott Harding says, 'It was eye-opening. It was humbling.'Treatment with medication failed to help - a common resistance. Scott underwent surgery.Scott SAYS, 'I have not had a seizure since the surgery. I'm seizure free for over three years.'Doctor walking down hall, into officeDoctor Hyunmi Choi of Columbia University Medical Center and her colleagues decided to compare the long-term effects of treating temporal lobe epilepsy with surgery versus medication.Dr. Choi says, 'The goal of the study was to determine the increase in length of life that might be associated with either epilepsy surgery - temporal lobe epilepsy surgery - or medication management.'The study - the first of its kind - appears this week in JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association.It showed that, on average, for a thirty-five year old patient, the surgery improves quality and length of life... Increasing life expectancy by almost five years...and increasing the number of seizure-free years by more than thirteen.Dr. Choi says, 'The biggest benefit of surgery is significant improvement in seizure control compared to medication management.'There are risks of surgical side effects - including infection and memory problems. But Doctor Choi says that for some patients surgery is an option worth considering.Dr. Choi says, 'If seizures are not completely controlled by at least two different medications, patients should consider getting a further evaluation and consider epilepsy surgery as a possibility.'Scott says, 'I have my life back. It is an incredible feeling to be able to control your life, to feel confident that this problem that you experienced is gone.'Confidence of a better quality of life.Alissa Krinsky, the JAMA Report.For more information about this study you can log on to www.jama.com.