Abstracts

Rationale: Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) has been approved by FDA and EMEA as adjunctive treatment for adults with partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization. It enhances slow inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels. Doses may vary between 800 and 1200 mg per day. Efficacy has been shown in addition to non-channel blocker antiepileptic drugs and to classical and modern channel blockers, with more adverse events in this second group. We aim to analyze efficacy, safety and adverse events in patients treated with ESL after 3, 6 and 12 months in a daily clinical practice. Here we present our preliminary results after 3 and 6 months of iniciating ESL.Methods: We performed an observational retrospective study in 6 secondary and tertiary hospitals in Galicia, Spain. For refractory epileptic patients presurgical evaluation was performed and, if feasible, surgery was conducted. Demographic and clinical characteristics, efficacy, number of concomitant AEDs, safety and adverse events were analyzed. Responders to ESL were considered as patients achieving a 50% or more reduction on seizure frequency compared with the mean frequency of seizures in a basal 3 months period. ESL was started if previous inefficacy or intolerance to other AEDs.Results: N=74 patients started treatment with ESL (N=72 patients continued with treatment after 3 months and N=49 fulfilled the 6 months treatment with ESL). Mean age was 42.71 (range of 18-75) years old. Fifty-one percent were males. The most frequent type of seizure was CPS (66.67% of patients) followed by focal seizures with secondary generalization (37.5% of patients). Forty percent suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy with a symptomatic etiology for 69.44% of them. 81.94% started ESL due to previous inefficacy of other AEDs. Mean frequency of seizures was 7.79 episodes/month. After 3 months, 36.11% were responders (N=26) including 16.67% of patients free of seizures (N=12). A diminution in secondary generalized seizures was remarkable (11.11% patients). Adverse events were reported in 29.17% of patients (N=21) being dizziness the most frequent (N=4). Seven patients abandoned ESL due to these adverse events. N=49 patients were treated with ESL after 6 months (N=14 patients still did not reach the 6 months of follow up) and 51.12% of patients were responders (N=25) including 24.49% patients free of seizures (N=12). Only 6.12% presented secondary generalization. N=9 patients reported adverse events and 4 patients abandoned ESL.Conclusions: ESL offers a safe profile and efficacy as add-on treatment for focal epilepsies. Besides diminution in seizure frequency our patients had a high reduction of secondary generalized seizures. Longer follow-up is needed to certify this good response.