PURPOSE To estimate the cost-effectiveness of pregabalin as add-on therapy in patients with refractory partial epilepsy. METHODS We developed a model to estimate clinical and economic outcomes over 1 year in a hypothetical cohort of patients with refractory partial epilepsy assumed alternatively to receive add-on therapy with pregabalin (300 mg/day) or no add-on therapy. For each patient in t...

Epilepsy affects almost 1% of the population and most of the approximately 20-30% of patients with refractory epilepsy have one or more seizures per month. Seizure detection devices allow an objective assessment of seizure frequency and a treatment tailored to the individual patient. A rapid recognition and treatment of seizures through closed-loop systems could potentially decrease morbidity a...

Status epilepticus is a common pediatric neurological emergency. Management includes prompt administration of appropriately selected anti-seizure medications, identification and treatment of seizure precipitant(s), as well as identification and management of associated systemic complications. This review discusses the definitions, classification, epidemiology and management of status epilepticu...

INTRODUCTION Status epilepticus (SE) can be refractory to conventional anticonvulsants, requiring anesthetic doses of medications to suppress seizures. This approach carries significant morbidity, is associated with a high fatality rate, and may not always control SE. Hypothermia has been shown to suppress epileptiform activity experimentally, but has not previously been used as a primary modal...

www.aana.com/aanajournalonline.aspx Despite numerous medications designed to eliminate or decrease seizures, an estimated 20% of epileptic patients in the United States remain refractory to these agents. Vagal nerve stimulation can decrease the number of seizure episodes. In 1997, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first implantable stimulation device for the treatment of medicall...

Epilepsy affects between 0.5% and 1% of the population and starts in childhood in two-thirds of patients. Approximately 30% of patients with epilepsy who are less than 18 years of age have medically refractory seizures [1, 2]. Seizures may adversely impact intellectual functioning [3-6] and therefore good seizure control is of critical importance. Compared with the mature brain, the impact of s...

BACKGROUND Febrile infections are an important cause of paediatric refractory status epilepticus, and immune-mediated mechanisms and inflammatory processes have been associated with neurological manifestations in such patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of immunotherapy as adjuvant treatment for febrile refractory status epilepticus. METHODS We retrospectively revie...

We treated 14 patients with medically refractory partial seizures by stimulation of the vagus nerve in two single-blind pilot studies. Patients received stimulation through an implantable, programmable NeuroCybernetic Prosthesis, consisting of a pulse generator and a lead-electrode assembly. The mean reduction in seizure frequency after 14 to 35 months of vagal stimulation was 46.6%. Of the 14 ...

PURPOSE To assess the evidence demonstrating efficacy, tolerability, and safety of seven new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) [gabapentin (GBP), lamotrigine (LTG), topiramate (TPM), tiagabine (TGB), oxcarbazepine (OXC), levetiracetam (LEV), and zonisamide (ZNS)] in the treatment of children and adults with refractory partial and generalized epilepsies. METHODS A 23-member committee, including gener...

Clozapine has been found to be superior to traditional neuroleptics in the treatment of refractory schizophrenia (Kane et al. 1988). Because it is associated with rare but life-threatening side effects, including agranulocytosis, myocarditis, aspiration pneumonia, ileus, and weight gain (Nielsen et al. 2013, Young et al. 1998), it is typically only recommended to patients with prominent and per...