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Therapy-resistant epilepsy in children: with the view of the long-term outcome

Tateki Morikawa1

  • 1National Epilepsy Center, Shizuoka Medical Institute of Neurological Disorders, Japan.

Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
|May 20, 2004
PubMed

Insights

For children with therapy-resistant epilepsy, generalized tonic seizures are common. Effective long-term seizure control was achieved in 27 patients by reducing antiepileptic drug regimens.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epileptology
  • Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

  • Epilepsy affects many children, with therapy-resistant cases posing significant challenges.
  • Generalized tonic seizures are a prevalent seizure type in pediatric generalized epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate long-term seizure control in children with therapy-resistant generalized tonic seizures.
  • To identify effective antiepileptic drugs and treatment strategies for this patient group.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 362 children with therapy-resistant epilepsy.
  • Focus on 119 patients with generalized tonic seizures.
  • Long-term follow-up to assess seizure control and treatment efficacy.

Main Results:

  • Complete seizure control for over 5 years was achieved in 27 patients.
  • Effective antiepileptic drugs included Valproic Acid (VPA), Phenytoin (PHT), Clonazepam (CLB), and Zonisamide (ZNS), often in combination.
  • A significant reduction in the average number of antiepileptic drugs from 4.7 to 2.4 was associated with seizure improvement.

Conclusions:

  • Long-term seizure remission is achievable in a subset of children with therapy-resistant generalized tonic seizures.
  • Optimizing antiepileptic drug regimens, including reducing drug load, is crucial for effective management.
  • Specific antiepileptic drugs show efficacy in controlling these challenging seizures.

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