Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam (LEV) in refractory epileptic children. Methods: The study group included 61 outpatients (7 generalized, 48 localization-related, 3 undetermined, 3 unclassified) aged between 16months and 18years. LEV was given twice daily at a total dose of 10mg/kg/day. The final mean dose was 50.7mg/kg/day. The mean number of prior anti-epileptic drugs was 5.2. The entire treatment period was more than 6months after LEV administration. Results: Fifteen children (24.6%) became seizure-free for 6months after starting LEV, and 18 (29.5%) had a seizure reduction of more than 50% for the entire 6months. The response rate was 33/61 (54.1%). Responders included 2/3 of patients (66.7%) with epilepsy with continuous spikes and waves during slow sleep and 13/19 (68.4%) with frontal lobe epilepsy. The effective dosage of LEV in the responders demonstrated a wide range (mean, 46.1mg/kg/day; range, 19.4–59.1mg/kg/day), and showed bimodal distribution. Adverse events occurred in only two patients who did not require LEV discontinuation. Conclusion: LEV represents an important addition to the treatments available for refractory epileptic children.
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