Postoperative quality of life outcome and employment in patients undergoing resection of epileptogenic lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging.

The long-term postoperative improvement of quality of life (QOL) and employment were investigated in patients undergoing resection of epileptogenic lesions detected by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to identify the associated preoperative factors. Thirty of 47 patients who underwent lesionectomy between 1987-2001 replied to questionnaires. Patients with extratemporal resection outnumbered those with temporal lobe resection. The mean follow-up period was 12.4 +/- 3.7 years. An arbitrary score for quantitatively assessing QOL was assigned. The mean increases in QOL score points were significantly higher in the late childhood onset group than those in the early childhood onset group, and were also significantly higher in the temporal resection group and extratemporal resection of non-dysplastic cortical pathology group than in the extratemporal resection of dysplastic cortical pathology group. Postoperative QOL improvement and occupational status of patients depended on the completeness of seizure control. Resection of lesions detected by MR imaging in patients with intractable epilepsy resulted in effective long-term QOL improvement and postoperative occupational status. Favorable outcome was related mainly to the pathology of the epileptogenic lesions, whether the lesion site was temporal or extratemporal, and the completeness of seizure control.