Lacosamide in refractory mixed pediatric epilepsy: a prospective add-on study
Reena Gogia Rastogi1, Yu-Tze Ng
1Division of Pediatric Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Journal of Child Neurology
|April 3, 2012
Summary
Lacosamide, an antiepileptic drug, showed promise as adjunctive therapy for pediatric refractory epilepsy. Approximately 50% of young patients experienced over a 50% reduction in seizure frequency.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatric Epilepsy
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Lacosamide is an FDA-approved antiepileptic drug (AED) for adults with partial-onset seizures.
- Its efficacy and safety in pediatric populations with refractory epilepsy are less understood.
- This study investigates lacosamide's use as adjunctive therapy in patients under 17 years old.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of oral lacosamide as adjunctive therapy for refractory epilepsy in pediatric patients (<17 years).
- To assess seizure reduction rates across different epilepsy types in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- A prospective add-on study involving 21 pediatric patients with various seizure types.
- Patients received oral lacosamide as adjunctive therapy for refractory epilepsy.
- Data from 16 patients with at least 3 months of follow-up were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Adjunctive lacosamide therapy resulted in >50% seizure frequency reduction in 8 of 16 (50%) pediatric patients.
- Lacosamide was particularly effective for partial-onset and localization-related epilepsies (62.5% response).
- Effectiveness was observed in 2 of 8 (25%) generalized epilepsy patients, including Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Conclusions:
- Lacosamide demonstrates potential as an effective adjunctive treatment for refractory epilepsy in pediatric patients.
- The drug shows particular benefit for partial-onset seizures and certain generalized epilepsies.
- Further research is warranted to optimize its use in this demographic.
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