Abstract | BACKGROUND: METHODS: The medical records of children from the age of 1 month-18 years who received levetiracetam because of acute repetitive seizures in the pediatric intensive care unit between 2010 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 133 patients, levetiracetam terminated seizures in 104 (78.2%). Side effects such as agitation and aggression were observed in three patients (2.2%). The likelihood of treatment failure was increased by four times by younger age at seizure onset; by six times in the individuals with neurological abnormalities; and by 22 times in the patients with West syndrome. The patients who used levetiracetam as the first treatment option for acute repetitive seizures had a longer duration of epilepsy, a higher rate of neurological abnormality, and a higher proportion of medically resistant epilepsy compared with the individuals who used levetiracetam as an add-on treatment to the other intravenous antiepileptic drugs. However, no differences were detected between these two groups in terms of treatment response. CONCLUSIONS:
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Authors | Rana İşgüder, Orkide Güzel, Hasan Ağın, Ünsal Yılmaz, Sanem Eren Akarcan, Tanju Celik, Aycan Ünalp |
Journal | Pediatric neurology
(Pediatr Neurol)
Vol. 51
Issue 5
Pg. 688-95
(Nov 2014)
ISSN: 1873-5150 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 25172096
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Copyright | Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
Chemical References |
- Anticonvulsants
- Levetiracetam
- Piracetam
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Topics |
- Adolescent
- Anticonvulsants
(administration & dosage)
- Child
- Child, Preschool
- Electroencephalography
- Female
- Follow-Up Studies
- Humans
- Infant
- Infant, Newborn
- Injections, Intravenous
- Levetiracetam
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Male
- Piracetam
(administration & dosage, analogs & derivatives)
- ROC Curve
- Retrospective Studies
- Seizures
(classification, drug therapy)
- Statistics, Nonparametric
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