Effects of an inpatient rehabilitation program after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery and other factors on employment 2 years after epilepsy surgery

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To evaluate the effects of a postsurgical rehabilitation program on employment status 2 years after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery in relation to other predictors. Employment outcome 2 years after temporal lobe resection in a group of 232 adult patients with the offer of a 3-week inpatient rehabilitation program immediately after surgery ("Reha group") was compared to a group of 119 patients who had surgery before such a rehabilitation program existed. One hundred thirty-nine (59.9%) of the Reha group patients attended the rehabilitation program. Further predictors for employment outcome were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Preoperatively, the groups did not differ significantly in variables relevant for employment, including employment rate. Two years after surgery, the rate of those not being employed had decreased in the Reha group from 38.4% to 27.6% (p < 0.001, McNemar test), and slightly increased in the control group (37.8-42.0%; n.s.), resulting in a difference of 14.4% in favor of the Reha group (p = 0.008). General unemployment rates during the two observation periods were similar. In addition to the offer of rehabilitation support ("Reha group") and preoperative employment, the following other variables were shown as significant predictors of employment post surgery in multivariate regression analysis: seizure outcome, diagnosis of a personality disorder preoperatively, and age at surgery (all, p < 0.01; Nagelkerkes R(2) = 0.59). Independently from other factors, a 3-week inpatient rehabilitation program after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery seems to improve employment status 2 years after surgery.