Evaluating risks for vigabatrin treatment

Approximately 30 to 40 percent of adults with epilepsy treated chronically with vigabatrin develop concentric visual field constrictions. These deficits are generally mild and asymptomatic, but are usually irreversible, so risks and benefits for vigabatrin treatment must be carefully reviewed. Infantile spasms, a particularly severe form of epilepsy, may respond to vigabatrin; however, some infants treated with the drug develop MRI evidence of possible intramyelinic edema in subcortical structures. This article reviews the benefits of vigabatrin treatment, the risks it poses to the retina and the developing brain, as well as possible subgroups of adults and infants with severe epilepsy for whom treatment may, nevertheless, be warranted.