Abstracts

Rationale: Levetiracetam is a novel broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug that is effective against a variety of seizure types. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam in pediatic patients with partial epilepsy, refractory to previous treatment with at least two anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Methods: We followed up 32 patients (9.5±3.4 years; 21 male, 65.6%) with refractory partial epilepsy and treated with levetiracetam (30-60 mg/kg/day) as add-on therapy for at least 6 months. The data include patients with partial seizures, concomitant antiepileptic drug use, seizure frequency, drug dosages, adverse events, and neurologic examinations were documented at baseline and routine follow-up visits. Concomitant AEDs and their doses were not changed during the study. Results: Six (18.8%) patients were discontinued for lack of efficacy before 6 months. Complete seizure-control were achieved in 16 (%50) patients. Ten (%31.2) patients had more than 50% reduction in seizure frequency. In about side effects, three patients reported behavioral deterioration and personality changes, 2 patients weight gaining. Conclusions: Although the limited number of patients in this study, we concluded that levetiracetam was generally effective and well-tolerated as add-on therapy in pediatric patients with refractory partial epilepsy.