A STUDY OF CLINICAL AND IMAGING FEATURES OF REFRACTORY EPILEPSY IN PATIENTS ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Abstract

Background & objectives Epilepsy is a chronic noncommunicable disease of the brain that affects people of all ages. It is estimated that 70% of people living with epilepsy could live seizure free if properly diagnosed and treated. The exact magnitude of medically intractable epilepsy in India is unknown. The factors that determine the outcome of epilepsy are age of onset and the type of seizure. The aim of our study was to identify the causes of refractory epilepsy To identify the clinical and imaging features i Objectives: n refractoriness. To determine the importance of early and proper evaluation of seizures in refractory epilepsy. It was an observational study Methods: in patients of refractory epilepsy. After taking informed consent, detailed history was taken and examination was done. 105 Patie Results: nts with refractory epilepsy were included in the study. Majority were between 21-30 years age group. 44% of the patients had the onset of seizures below 10 years. Focal seizure type (68 patients) was the most frequent type. Status epilepticus was found in 41.9% of the patients. Engel's seizure score showed the association of high seizure score with RE. The most common cause for refractoriness was found to be congenital anomalie Interpretation & Conclusions: s in children and calcication in adults.