Carbamazepine as a sole anticonvulsant for partial seizures

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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Non-restraining EEG Radiotelemetry: Epidural and Deep Intracerebral Stereotaxic EEG Electrode Placement
06:58

Non-restraining EEG Radiotelemetry: Epidural and Deep Intracerebral Stereotaxic EEG Electrode Placement

Published on: June 25, 2016

H Sato, M Doi, T Okuno

    Brain & Development
    |January 1, 1979
    PubMed

    Insights

    Carbamazepine (CBZ) effectively controls partial seizures in children, with therapeutic serum concentrations observed in seizure-free patients. Side effects like transient leucopenia were noted, and monotherapy showed higher serum levels than combination therapy.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatric Neurology
    • Clinical Pharmacology

    Background:

    • Partial seizures are a common form of epilepsy in children.
    • Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a widely used antiepileptic drug.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To evaluate the efficacy, serum concentration, and side effects of carbamazepine (CBZ) in children with partial seizures.
    • To compare CBZ serum levels in monotherapy versus combination therapy.

    Main Methods:

    • A study involving 27 children (ages 5-17) with partial seizures.
    • A control group of 15 patients with epilepsy on CBZ and other anticonvulsants.
    • Monitoring of seizure control, serum CBZ levels, EEG, and adverse events.

    Main Results:

    • Nineteen of 27 patients achieved complete seizure control with serum CBZ levels ranging from trace to 15.6 mcg/ml.
    • No significant difference in serum CBZ levels between controlled and uncontrolled seizure groups.
    • EEG improvement in 7 seizure-free patients with serum levels between 5.9-13.2 mcg/ml.
    • Transient leucopenia in 4 patients; elevated GOT/GPT in 2 patients.
    • Monotherapy group had significantly higher serum CBZ levels than the combined therapy group.

    Conclusions:

    • Carbamazepine (CBZ) demonstrates efficacy in controlling partial seizures in pediatric patients.
    • Therapeutic serum concentrations of CBZ are achievable, with some patients showing improvement in EEG.
    • Adverse effects are generally mild, and monotherapy leads to higher serum concentrations compared to combination therapy.

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