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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Electromagnetic Source Imaging in Presurgical Evaluation of Children with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
Published on: September 20, 2024
Phenytoin desensitization in a child with symptomatic localization-related epilepsy
Seiko Itomi1, Akihisa Okumura, Taketo Ikuta
1Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya First Red Cross Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. itomis@dsl.sun-inet.or.jp
Abstract:
We reported a child with refractory partial seizures successfully managed by clinical desensitization to phenytoin. The patient had ischemic brain lesions due to cardiopulmonary arrest at 39 weeks of corrected age. He had complex partial seizures refractory to several antiepileptic drugs since 4 years of age. At 8 years 1 month of age, phenytoin was first administered. Fever and maculopapular rashes appeared at 10 days after phenytoin initiation, and then the drug was discontinued. At 8 years 8 months of age, desensitization was attempted because of refractoriness of seizures to drugs other than phenytoin. Desensitization was started at 1mg daily, and then the dose was doubled every week. His seizures were controlled by 150mg/day of phenytoin in combination with primidone. No problems have been observed during desensitization.
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