Drug withdrawal after successful epilepsy surgery: how safe is it?
Epilepsy Behav
; 15(4): 476-80, 2009 Aug.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19546031
ABSTRACT
Discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is one reason patients undergo epilepsy surgery, but little is known about the risk of seizure recurrence. We describe a prospective pilot study of withdrawal performed at our epilepsy center. Sixty completely seizure-free patients were included between 1997 and 2003. AED withdrawal was proposed 1 year after surgery after a detailed discussion of the risks and benefits. On the basis of their decision on withdrawal, patients were stratified into two cohorts (withdrawal group, N=34; control group, N=26). Discontinuation was carried out in small tapering steps over 1 year with yearly follow-up visits. Withdrawal was stopped when seizures recurred or the patients objected to further discontinuation. Twenty-six of 34 (76.5%) persons in the withdrawal group and 16 of 26 (61.5%) persons in the control group were seizure free 5 years after surgery. In this study, AED discontinuation 1 year after successful epilepsy surgery was not associated with a risk of seizure recurrence higher than that of controls.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Síndrome de Abstinência a Substâncias
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Epilepsia
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Anticonvulsivantes
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
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Incidence_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Qualitative_research
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2009
Tipo de documento:
Article