title: The quality of life of patients with good outcomes after anterior circulation aneurysm surgery assessed by the world health organization quality of life instrument-korean version.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Even in the patients with neurologically good outcome after intracranial aneurysm surgery, their perception of health is an important outcome issue. This study aimed to investigate the quality of life (QOL) and its predictors of patients who had a good outcome following anterior circulation aneurysm surgery as using the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument-Korean version.
  
  
  METHODS
  We treated 280 patients with 290 intracranial aneurysms for 2 years. This questionnaire was taken and validated by 99 patients whose Glasgow Outcome Scale score was 4 and more and Global deterioration scale 3 and less at 6 months after the operation, and 85 normal persons. Each domain and facet was compared between the two groups, and a subgroup analysis was performed on the QOL values and hospital expenses of the aneurysm patients according to the type of craniotomy, approach, bleeding of the aneurysm and brain injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aneurysm patients showed a lower quality of life compared with control patients in level of independence, psychological, environmental, and spiritual domains. In the environmental domain, there were significant intergroup differences according to the type of craniotomy and the surgical approach used on the patients (p<0.05). The hospital charges were also significantly different according to the type of craniotomy (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite good neurological status, patients surgically treated for anterior circulation aneurysm have a low quality of life. The craniotomy size may affect the QOL of patients who underwent an anterior circulation aneurysm surgery and exhibited a good outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Sool
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Young-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Dong-Kyu
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Sang-Kyu
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Sup
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Anterior circulation aneurysm; Craniotomy size; Quality of life; Surgical approach