DO WE EVALUATE OUTCOME APPROPRIATELY

We discuss two different ways of measuring outcome in a sample of 20 p atients who had intracranial aneurysm surgery. Patients were evaluated at discharge using the Karnofsky Scale and the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Six months after discharge we conducted a neuropsychiatric evaluation including cognitive, behavioral, and mood status assessment Although 13 of our patients had a 'good recovery' 18 had some neuropsychiatric impairment. We did not find statistical relationships between the disc harge evaluation and the neuropsychiatric assessment at follow-up. We discuss the need for developing new outcome measures to pick-up neurop sychiatric deficits, beyond the traditional neurologic semiology.