Romanian translation and validation of vascular quality of life questionnaire “VascuQOL-6” in patients with lower extremity arterial disease

Abstract

Background: Patient reported outcomes are valuable components in the assessment of results of treatment for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The aim of the study was totranslate the six item Vascular Quality of Life Questionnaire (VascuQoL-6) survey intoRomanian, and to validate the psychometric performance of the questionnaire in a representative cohort of patients with lower extremity arterial disease. Material and Methods: Translation of the VascuQoL-6 questionnaire was performed following accepted methodology. The overall validation cohort included 100 patients withPAD (86% with chronic limb-threatening ischemia) undergoing lower limb revascularization.In 20 patients with stable PAD two questionnaires were offered preoperatively with a median interval of 15 days. Another 22 patients were re-tested after revascularization at amedian interval of 30 days. Results: The median time required for completion of the VascuQoL-6 survey was 2 (IQR 2-3) minutes. The translated version demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha– 0.81) and there was no difference in the preoperative median VascuQoL-6 scoring duringthe test re-test assessment. Area under the ROC curve for ability to discriminate intermittentclaudication from chronic limb-threatening ischemia was 0.897. The median VascuQoL-6score increased from 10 (IQR 8-12) points preoperatively to 18.5 (IQR 14.7-20) points post-operatively (p < 0.0001) with a standardized response mean of 2.94. Conclusion: The Romanian version of the VascuQoL-6 survey demonstrated good reliability,validity and responsiveness and can thus be recommended for use in patients with lowerlimb PAD.