Linked Life Data

17161587

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/17161587

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2007-3-2
pubmed:abstractText
Non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is characterized by continuous or recurrent, generalized or focal epileptiform activity on the electroencephalogram and diverse clinical symptoms with alterations of mental state and vigilance. NCSE is not rare but certainly under diagnosed. There is some debate about how aggressive NCSE should be treated, as high dose anticonvulsants maybe partially responsible for the morbidity and mortality of patients with NCSE. We hypothesized that levetiracetam (LEV) as a well tolerated, highly effective new anticonvulsant, may be a safe treatment option. We retrospectively analyzed all (8) patients with NCSE who received levetiracetam from our database, compared with 11 patients with NCSE treated with conventional intravenous status medication as controls. These eight patients showed a marked clinical improvement with final cessation of ictal EEG-activity and clinical symptoms of NCSE after initiation of LEV within 3 days (mean 1.5 days). The response to conventional treatment was similarly effective but there were severe side effects whereas no relevant side effects in the LEV-treated group were noticed. A long-term follow up (6-36 months from discharge) revealed six patients with a persisting reduction in seizure frequency on medication with LEV. One patient changed the anticonvulsive medication because of inefficacy and one died from other causes than epilepsy 2 months after discharge from hospital. We found no significant differences in hospitalisation time, time in intensive care unit and outcome between the LEV group and the control group. This retrospectively acquired data suggests that LEV may be a well tolerated, effective treatment option in NCSE. This highlights the need for a prospective controlled study to further elucidate the utility of LEV in the treatment of NCSE, particularly as an intravenous formulation is now available.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0920-1211
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
73
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
238-44
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
Levetiracetam as a treatment option in non-convulsive status epilepticus.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neurology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Erlanger Alle 101, 07740 Jena, Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article