Status epilepticus during vigabatrin treatment: A report of three cases

Vigabatrin (gamma-vinyl-GABA or GVG) is an irreversible inhibitor of gamma-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABA-T), which is an enzyme responsible for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) catabolism. Inhibition of GABA catabolism increases brain concentration of GABA, a neural inhibitor. GVG has been found to be a potent new anti-epileptic drug, especially in the treatment of refractory epilepsy, in particular of complex partial seizures. Three patients who developed a severe status epilepitus while on GVG treatment are reported. A possible proconvulsive effect of GVG is hypothesized, which might result from disinhibition in the nigro-collicular pathway due to increased GABA-levels.