title: Health-related quality of life in patients with spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae.
abstract: Neurological improvement in patients with spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae (SDAVF) is often partial even after adequate treatment. While treatment outcomes have been evaluated primarily on the basis of the postoperative changes in neurological deficits, outcome measures should also reflect the patient-reported outcome (PRO). We conducted a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) survey in 52 SDAVF patients; 33 (63.5%) completed the short-form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. They were 25 males and 8 females ranging in age from 47 to 85 years (mean age 70.0 years). The mean follow-up period was 95.6 months. We analyzed the completed questionnaires and examined the clinical factors associated with their HRQOL. After treatment, gait- and micturition disturbances persisted in 31 (93.9%) and 31 (93.9%) of our patients; 26 (78.8%) reported chronic leg pain. The SF-36 scores of treated SDAVF patients were significantly lower than the national average of 50 for all 8 sub-items in the questionnaire. The scores for physical functioning (PF) and role-physical (RP) were particularly low. With the exception of bodily pain (BP), there was a significant negative correlation between the Aminoff-Logue scale (ALS) scores for gait- and micturition and the sub-item scores. The score for BP showed a significant positive correlation with the scores for the 7 other SF-36 sub-items. The HRQOL of treated SDAVF patients was lower than the national average with respect to both physical and mental aspects. Persistent post-treatment pain and gait- and micturition disturbances were responsible for their lower HRQOL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, North-15 West-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan. mo_ri25@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasamori
authors.affiliation: Sapporo Azabu Neurosurgical Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hida
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, North-15 West-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osanai
authors.affiliation: Sapporo Azabu Neurosurgical Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, North-15 West-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshitaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, North-15 West-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyohiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Houkin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020785:Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations / Q000601:surgery*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000601:surgery*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL); Patient-reported outcome (PRO); Short-form 36 Health Survey (SF-36); Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae (SDAVF)