[Perioperative management of epileptic patients]

The number of epileptic patients scheduled to receive anesthesia and operation is not small. The management of anesthesia for epileptic patients requires caution and prudence. It is necessary to continue their anticonvulsant therapy to avoid perioperative seizures. Anesthesiologists should consider the side effects of anticonvulsants such as liver dysfunction, renal dysfunction, anemia, and gingival hyperplasia. Drug interactions of anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants or opioids and other drugs are also to be considered. Volatile anesthetics and intravenous anesthetics have both anticonvulsant and convulsive properties, although the convulsive properties of clinical doses of these anesthetics are permissible.