Patient quality of life after vestibular schwannoma removal: possibilities and limits to measuring different domains of patients' wellbeing.

PURPOSE: Since the 1980s, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been recognized in the assessment of medical treatment. To determine the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients, a specific questionnaire that has been validated in different languages is essential.

METHODS

The Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and PANQOL questionnaires in German were evaluated in patients after removal of a VS via the translabyrinthine approach. Descriptive statistics of a comparison of the SF-36 results to those of a normal sample are illustrated. Criterion validity was investigated using Spearman's rank test to correlate the PANQOL domains with the SF-36 domains. A confirmatory factor analysis of the PANQOL was performed to determine the stability of the factor structure of the PANQOL questionnaire for our cohort.

RESULTS

The criterion validity of the German PANQOL questionnaire is comparable to that of the original English version. The SF-36 domains values ranged from 49.31/100 (role physical) to 66.46/100 (physical functioning). Compared to the normal population, patients who underwent surgical removal of a VS showed a significantly reduced quality of life, mainly in domains such as physical and social functioning, as well as psychological wellbeing.

CONCLUSION

The German PANQOL has been validated and is now available. Post-surgical treatment should be focused not only on physiological rehabilitation but also on improving the quality of life, especially aspects of psychological and social wellbeing.