Quality of life and life satisfaction in families after a child has undergone corpus callosotomy

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition which can have a detrimental effect on patients' quality of life (QOL). We evaluated the overall satisfaction with QOL and changes in QOL in 25 families with children who had undergone corpus callosotomy for severe epilepsy. The mean age of seizure onset was 3.4 years, and the mean period from seizure onset to operation was 5.2 years. Mean follow-up was 19.3 months. Twenty of 22 patients had various degrees of mental retardation. Mean reduction in severity of seizure activity was 64%. Nineteen of 25 (76%) parents were satisfied with the surgical result. Eighteen of 25 parents (72%) described a good level of satisfaction with their families QOL after callosotomy. Reduction in severity of seizure activity was significantly correlated with how successful families considered the surgery to be and how satisfied they were with their QOL (r = 0.72 and 0.77, respectively). Life domains showing one greatest improvement after callosotomy included level of self-care, family life, and school performance. Improvements in level of self-care, family life, and school performance were associated with higher levels of life satisfaction (r = 0.69, 0.60, and 0.59, respectively). Hyperactivity, attention span, and social skills improved significantly in 11 patients after surgery. Callosotomy did not improve mental performance. We conclude that improved seizure control after callosotomy is also associated with improved QOL.