• Mary Lou Smith, Kristin Kelly, Darren S Kadis, Irene M Elliott, Janet Olds, Sharon Whiting, and Thomas Snyder.
• University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. marylou.smith@utoronto.ca
• Epilepsia. 2011 May 1;52(5):891-9.

PurposeThis study investigated the relationship of childhood resective surgery for lesional epilepsy and recent seizure history on self-reported symptoms of mood and psychological distress in young adults (aged 18-30).MethodsNinety-eight individuals with epilepsy of childhood onset were divided into three groups: a seizure-free surgical group (n = 39), a surgical group still experiencing seizures (n = 31), and a nonsurgical epilepsy comparison group (n = 28). Participants completed two standardized questionnaires about current mood state and psychological and psychiatric symptoms: the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90R).Key FindingsForty-eight percent of all participants reported a history of psychological problems. The percentage of the seizure-free surgical group who met the SCL-90R criteria for current clinically significant distress was statistically less than in the other groups. Those who were seizure free also reported significantly fewer total symptoms on the SCL-90R. The current number of antiepileptic medications was related to scores on a number of the scales.SignificanceThese results provide modest support for the contention that seizure freedom after pediatric epilepsy surgery is associated with reduced risk for psychological distress during early adulthood.Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2011 International League Against Epilepsy.

32 keywords...

hide…