Efficacy of levetiracetam in neonatal seizures, a prospective open label comparative study

Authors : R. H. Gobbur, G. Gaduputi

DOI : 10.18231/2455-6793.2018.0006

Volume : 4

Issue : 1

Year : 0

Page No : 16-19

Objective: This study compares the efficacy of levetiracetam with phenobarbital in early onset seizures in term, late preterm neonates.
Design: Prospective randomized, open label comparative study.
Setting: study was carried out in tertiary care teaching hospital of south India.
Participants: 78 terms, and late preterm neonates admitted in NICU with neonatal seizures.
Intervention: Neonates with seizures, were randomized into 2 groups to receive levetiracetam or phenobarbital as 1^st line anti consultant in each group.
Results: As 1^st line anti epileptic drug (AED) levetiracetam (LEV) was effective in 16 patients (41%), and phenobarbital was effective in19 patients (48.7%), where P value was not significant. But mortality was more in phenobarbital group with death of 10 patients (25.6%), and in LEV group death was only in 3 patients (7.7%) statistically significant (P value of 0.033).
Conclusion: levetiracetam and phenobarbital attained seizure control in less than 50% patients, both were equally effective, levetiracetam as 1^st line anticonvulsant in early neonatal seizures leads to early seizure control and less mortality than use of phenobarbital.

Keywords: Levetiracetam, Neonatal Seizures.

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