Epilepsy Surgery Improves Quality of Life – Results of a Questionnaire Study

Česká verzia

Authors: I. Doležalová ¹; E. Pešlová ²; M. Michnová ¹; T. Nečasová ³; J. Kočvarová ¹; K. Musilová ¹; I. Rektor ^1,4; M. Brázdil ^1,4
Authors place of work: Centrum pro epilepsie Brno, I. neurologická klinika LF MU a FN u sv. Anny v Brně ¹; LF MU, Brno ²; Institut biostatistiky a analýz, LF MU, Brno ³; CEITEC – Středoevropský technologický institut, MU, Brno ⁴
Published in the journal: Cesk Slov Neurol N 2016; 79/112(4): 430-439
Category: Short Communication

Summary

Aim:
Seizure-freedom is the traditional goal of epilepsy surgery. At presents, our attention is more and more concerned with the effects of epilepsy surgery on other aspects, mainly the impact of epilepsy surgery on employment status and quality of life.

Methods:
A questionnaire was designed for the purposes of our study; this questionnaire consists of 13 questions focusing on topics related to epilepsy surgery. These questions could be divided into four subfields: 1. demographic data and patients´ characteristics, 2. information related to surgery, 3. employment and social support, 4. subjective evaluation of surgery impact on the patient’s life.

Results:
Ninety-one respondents were included in the study – 56 men (61.5%) and 35 women (38.5%), who correctly completed the questionnaires. Fifty-nine patients (64.8%) were completely seizure-free after surgery. Before the surgery, 46 patients (50.5%) were employed, there was a mild increase in employment after surgery that did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.596). Half of the patients (49, 54%) reported an increase in quality of life after surgery. One question asked whether the patient would undergo the surgery again if he/she could change the past; 78 patients (85.7%) agreed they would.

Conclusion:
The majority of patients undergoing a surgery for drug-resistant epilepsy were seizure-free but only a minority managed subsequently to find an employment. Despite this, epilepsy surgery is assessed positively in the vast majority of patients, it provides them with an increase in quality of life and the majority would undergo the surgery again.

Key words:
epilepsy – drug-resistant – surgery – seizure-freedom – quality of life – employment after surgery – disability pension

The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study.

The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE “uniform requirements” for biomedical papers.

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