Quality of Life Outcomes after Surgery for Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome at a Canadian Academic Institution

Objective: Demonstrate the applicability of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in assessing effectiveness of surgery for superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) in the Canadian healthcare context.

Study Design: Single-institution case series and literature review.

Setting: Tertiary care center.

Patients: Adults who have undergone surgery for SCDS from 2016 to 2020.

Main Outcome(s): Changes in SCDS-specific symptoms, correlation between changes in SCDS-specific symptoms and DHI scores, and comparison of our results to others in the literature.

Results: Of 13 patients who underwent SCDS repair, 9 (69%) and 5 (38%) participants completed the SCDS and DHI questionnaires. Following surgery, 77.8% of participants reported symptoms that led them to surgery were either “completely cured” or “much better.” Regarding SCDS-specific symptoms, changes in auditory symptoms, pressure-induced vertigo, and headache following surgery were statistically significant; changes in other non-auditory symptoms were not significant. A majority of participants (N = 6, 67%) reported improvements in quality of life, work functioning, social engagement, and overall mood. DHI scores improved in 4 (80%) of participants. A strong positive correlation was noted between changes [LC1] in pre- and postoperative SCDS-specific symptoms and DHI scores for dizziness (r = 0.97, p = 0.015) and imbalance (r = 1.0, p < 0.0001). Scores on the SCDS-specific questionnaire and the DHI in our patient population compared favorably with those in previously published literature.

Conclusions: Surgery for SCDS leads to improvements in patient symptoms which are measurable on both an SCDS-specific questionnaire and more general questionnaires such as the DHI. Application of PROMs is feasible in this patient population in the Canadian context, and can help better assess the effectiveness of surgical intervention ([Figs. 1] [2] [3] [4]).

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
01. Februar 2023