Abstracts

Rationale: Twenty to forty percent of people with epilepsy develop proven pharmacoresistance. Some patients may be candidates for epilepsy surgery. The therapy with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) might be an option for the ones who are not suitable for surgery. The number of seizure-free patients with VNS is small in medical literature. In addition to the seizures, other factors are important when measuring quality of life (QOL). The objective of this study was to assess QOL in patients with VNS.Methods: QOLIE-31 was applied in 10 patients (8 males and 2 females) with refractory epilepsy and VNS. The questionnaire was applied twice, before and after the implantation of VNS therapy. In five mentally retarded patients, the questionnaire was answered by the caregiver. Results: The time of VNS implant ranged from 1 month to 5 years. The number of seizures was reduced by around 50%. As for the quality of life, QOLIE-31 demonstrated that 60% of the patients started to worry less about having a seizure, 80% had their emotional well-being improved, 100% reported increased vitality, in 50% of the patients the cognition was better; 50% reported fewer side-effects of medications, and 40% improved sociability. The global QOL improved in all the patients. Conclusions: Although the seizures have remained, the therapy with VNS had a positive impact on QOL. According to the QOLIE-31 questionnaire, the improvement occurred in all domains tested and was significant, especially in the domains global QOL, vitality and emotional well-being.