Successful treatment of early myoclonic encephalopathy using lidocaine and carbamazepine

Abstract

We report two female infants with early myoclonic encephalopathy (EME) whose intractable focal seizures were suppressed with lidocaine and carbamazepine (CBZ). Although EME is a form of early-onset epileptic encephalopathy characterised by myoclonus and focal seizures that are highly resistant to treatment, lidocaine and CBZ may prove effective in treating this disorder. Future studies should be performed in order to determine whether there are common specific mechanisms of seizure generation related to the sodium channel in these patients.