Decreased Quality of Life in Children With Hypothalamic Hamartoma and Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy

We evaluated health-related quality of life in patients with hypothalamic hamartoma, to see how it differs from that of children with more common neurologic disorders. We used the PedsQL 4.0, along with the Child Behavior Checklist, Hague Seizure Severity Scale, and Side Effects Scale, to evaluate presurgical patients with hypothalamic hamartoma and epilepsy (n = 21). The results were compared with those of age-matched cohorts with migraine (n = 19) and Benign Epilepsy with Central Temporal Spikes (n = 11). In comparison with the migraine group, the patients with hypothalamic hamartoma had decreased health-related quality of life across all domains of the PedsQL 4.0. Compared with the benign epilepsy group, the hypothalamic hamartoma cohort has a significantly lower score in School Function. Comorbid psychomotor retardation was predictive of lower quality of life. Research examining the efficacy of recently developed surgical treatments for hypothalamic hamartoma should include health-related quality of life as an outcome measure.