Abstracts

Despite the assumption that epilepsy surgery in childhood will result in improved psychosocial function, there are few data on long-term outcomes. This study was conducted to fill this knowledge gap with respect to quality of life (QOL). The relationship between perceived QOL and each of current seizure status, mood and psychological status was investigated in young adults (18-29 years). This retrospective cross-sectional study included 89 individuals recruited from four tertiary care epilepsy centres. Subjects were divided into three groups, defined by whether or not the individuals had undergone pediatric epilepsy surgery, as well as their seizure status. The surgical group was comprised of 61 subjects and was further divided into two groups: those who had seizures in the past 12 months and those without seizures in the past 12 months. A comparison group comprised 28 subjects with intractable epilepsy of childhood onset who had not undergone surgery. Quality of life, mood state, and psychological functioning were measured with four questionnaires (Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31[QOLIE], Subjective Handicap of Epilepsy Scale [SHE], Profile of Mood Sates, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised). Group differences were examined in ANOVAs and predictors were evaluated in regression analyses. Subjects in the seizure-free surgical group had higher scores than both the surgical with seizures group and the comparison group on several scales of the SHE and QOLIE. For all groups combined, number of current antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) was the most consistent predictor across scales. Higher levels of psychological distress and negative mood, as well as older age at the time of study were associated with lower QOL. The findings suggest that early surgery results in better QOL in young adulthood for those who are seizure-free, confirming the results of a similar study by Keene et al.(1997) and studies of surgery conducted in adulthood. The results also point to the importance of the number of AEDs in QOL. (Supported by The Ontario Mental Health Foundation.)