Authors : P Sangeetha, K Anoop
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijmpo.2020.005
Volume : 6
Issue : 1
Year : 2020
Page No : 23-26
Aims: To find out the predictors of intractable epilepsy in childhood and to identify these children prone for intractability at the earliest.
Settings and Design: It is a case control study done at Department of Pediatric Neurology at a tertiary care hospital.
Methods and Materials: 50 cases and 50 controls were enrolled in the study. Cases were defined as ‘epileptic patients who have seizure frequency of at least 1 attack per month for at least six months despite receiving two antiepileptic drugs with adequate dosage and compliance’. Detailed history, neurologic examination, EEG and neuroimaging were done in all patients to find out factors predicting intractability.
Results: A total of 50 patients with intractable epilepsy and 50 patients with well controlled seizures were studied. A female preponderance was seen among case group, females constituting 54% and males 46%. Significant association with a p value<0>
Conclusions: Early identification of these children prone to develop intractable seizures is critical for parental counselling, selecting patients for more intensive investigations and treatment, such as early consideration for epilepsy surgery.
Keywords: Intractable epilepsy, Myoclonic seizures, Neonatal seizures.