Artikel
Health-related quality of life in patients after vestibular schwannoma surgery
Lebensqualität nach AKN-Operation – retroperspektive Studie
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Autoren
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A. Sepehrnia
- Neurochirurgische Klinik, Clemenshospital, Münster
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D. Niehues
- Neurochirurgische Klinik, Clemenshospital, Münster
| Veröffentlicht: | 30. Mai 2008 |
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Gliederung
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Objective: The aim of this study was to prove the health-related quality of life after vestibular schwannoma surgery from the patient's viewpoint and to check the influence of typical post surgery symptoms (facial functioning, hearing decrease, dizziness and headaches). The vestibular schwannoma, the most frequent neoplasm of the skull base, is a slowly growing, benign tumor which arises from the swan-cells of the VIIIth brain nerve.
Methods: A questionnaire consisting of short form health survey (SF-36) and 24 self-sketched questions was sent in November, 2006, to 164 consecutive, German-speaking patients, who had undergone vestibular schwannoma surgery via a lateral suboccipital approach in the time from June, 2002 to March, 2006 by one single surgeon. Completed questionnaires were returned by 116 patients (70,73%). 66 women (56,9%) and 50 men (43,9%) with a median age of 50 years (19 - 78) at the time of operation answered, Median time from operation to quality of life assessment was 29.5 months (8-53).
Results: A significant deterioration for the health-related quality of life after vestibular schwannoma surgery occurred in 6 of 8 scales of the SF-36 compared with the German norm group. No differences could be ascertained between patients, who had undergone surgery because of a relapse (n=10) and the other patients. The patients, who felt "very much" or "exceptionally" impaired by headaches (n=13, 11.3%) or dizziness (n=21, 18,26%) reached in all scales of SF-36 significantly worse values than the German norm group. With patients suffering a loss of facial functioning (n=8, 6,98%) this applied to 5-8 scales. The patients who felt "very much" or "exceptionally" impaired (n=65, 56.52%)by a hearing weakness or hearing loss, showed values significantly worse in only 3 scales compared with the German norm group.
Conclusions: Besides a good result of the operation concerning facial nerve and cochlear nerve function preservation, it seems that most of the patients are not satisfied with their daily life especially because of dizziness and vertigo.
