The effects of epilepsy surgery on physical functioning, emotional status and health - related quality of life

Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the effects of epilepsy surgery on physical functioning, emotional status and health-related quality of life in patients with epilepsy. Methodology: Thirty four participants were evaluated in this study. Group I consisted of 17 consecutive patients who underwent epilepsy surgery. Group II included 17 healthy controls. While each patient was evaluated three times: before surgery, after surgery (6th month), and at the end of the first year after surgery, the controls were evaluated just one time. The Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was used to assess quality of life. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was applied to detect depressive symptoms. A 12- meter Walking Test (mobility) and the Barthel Index (Daily Living Activities) were used to evaluate physical functions. Results: The results showed that the patients’ quality of life and their mobility improved after surgery (p 0.05). Most of the patients reported decreased depressive symptoms after surgery (p 0.001). No significant differences in terms of daily living activities were found. The results of this study also showed that the BDI scores were highly correlated with NHP scores (p 0.05). At 6th month after surgery, although the patients’ scores in terms of all outcomes measurements were worst compared to the controls, the scores of the two groups were more or less similar after one year (p 0.05). Conclusion: Epilepsy surgery is an effective treatment improving physical functioning and QOL, and supporting emotional status of the patients with epilepsy, positively.