title: Early and late postoperative changes in the quality of life after pancreatic surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare health-related quality of life (QoL) before and after surgery for pancreatic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of prospectively gathered data is presented. A total of 174 patients of 230 planned for pancreatic surgery between March and December 2009 at a German high-volume center completed the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey preoperatively, 133 of them at 3 months and 83 at 24 months after surgery. Data was analysed according to diagnosis and procedure, and compared to German population norms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  QoL in the study group was worse than that of age-matched healthy population at all time points. It decreased continuously in the cancer group, decreased early and showed a trend toward recovery late in patients with benign tumors and chronic pancreatitis. Distal pancreatectomy was the best tolerated and total pancreatectomy the worst tolerated procedure. Older age and development of pancreatic insufficiency affected negatively QoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with pancreatic disease, diagnosis determined QoL preoperatively and late after surgery, while in the early postoperative period, type and extent of surgery was the leading factor. Total pancreatectomy had a profound negative effect on QoL and should be reserved for carefully selected patients only.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr University of Bochum, Gudrunstr. 56, 44791 Bochum, Germany. o.belyaev@klinikum-bochum.de
authors.forename: Orlin
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Belyaev
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.forename: Ansgar M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chromik
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meurer
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Uhl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D061847:Hospitals, High-Volume; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology; D010180:Pancreatectomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D010185:Pancreatic Fistula / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires