The Epilepsy Surgery Satisfaction Questionnaire (ESSQ-19): linguistic adaptation and validation of the Russian version.

OBJECTIVE

Satisfaction with epilepsy surgery is an important patient-reported outcome that provides a patient-centered view of the overall effects of surgery. We aimed to validate the Russian version of the Epilepsy Surgery Satisfaction Questionnaire (Ru-ESSQ-19).

METHODS

Patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy (PDRE) who underwent epilepsy surgery between January 2014 and January 2023 were recruited at least one year after surgery. Clinical and demographic data were collected. Following translation and back-translation, patients completed the Ru-ESSQ-19 and a set of validated questionnaires to assess construct validity. Spearman's rank correlation assessed construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha evaluated internal consistency. Multiple linear regression was used to identify postoperative predictors of satisfaction with surgery.

RESULTS

Sixty-six of 119 eligible patients residing in Moscow participated in the study. The questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency in the four domains (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74-0.93). The ESSQ-19 mean summary score was 74.6 (SD 18) and had significant correlations in the expected direction with other measures, such as quality of life and seizure-related disability. The questionnaire also demonstrated good discriminant validity for predicting 1 year seizure freedom (AUC = 0.78, 95 % CI = 0.67-0.88) and self-rating epilepsy as disabling (AUC = 0.85, 95 % CI = 0.74-0.93). Seizure-related disability and number of anti-seizure medications were the main predictors of satisfaction with epilepsy surgery.

CONCLUSION

The Russian version of the ESSQ-19 is a reliable and valid self-reported questionnaire for assessing patient satisfaction with epilepsy surgery. This study is the first to provide insights into the level of satisfaction with epilepsy surgery in Russian patients.