Reduction of AEDs in postsurgical patients who attain remission

Discontinuation of medications after successful epilepsy surgery in children

To evaluate the need for antiepileptic drugs after successful epilepsy surgery in pediatric patients, we retrospectively reviewed patients who had epilepsy surgery and were seizure free or had rare nondisabling auras during the first 6 postoperative months. Association between drug discontinuation and seizure recurrence was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards multivariable survival analysis. Medications were withdrawn in 68 of 97 patients, seizure free (or with rare nondisabling auras) for >6 months after surgery; 57 of the 68 (84%) remained seizure free; the other 11 (16%) had seizure recurrence after 68 months (median). Seizure recurrence was controlled with medication in 7 of the 11 patients (3 have rare seizures, 1 frequent auras). Discontinuing medications at <6 mo, compared with later or no withdrawal, had significant risk for seizure recurrence (hazard ratio 5.8; 95% confidence interval 1.8, 17.5; P = 0.003). Of 29 patients who continued drugs, 28 (97%) remained seizure free after 37 months (median). Freedom from seizures 6 months after surgery predicted good outcome (95% seizure free, with or without medication). If discontinuation is offered after 6 months, the majority of patients (84%) can be expected to remain seizure free with no further need for medication. Although seizure breakthrough is possible in a smaller percentage, restarting drugs is likely to restore seizure control.

Discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs after pediatric epilepsy surgery

In children with medically intractable seizures, epilepsy surgery is now a widely accepted option. Successful discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs after epilepsy surgery has been reported in adults, but rarely in children. Surgical outcome and need for antiepileptic drugs after temporal and extratemporal lobe resection were retrospectively reviewed for 80 pediatric patients from the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the University of Alberta. For 1 year after surgery, children were maintained on at least one antiepileptic drug. Antiepileptic drug discontinuation was attempted in all patients with a nonepileptic electroencephalogram after 1 year seizure-free. Less than half of the patients (44%) eventually relapsed without antiepileptic drugs. Of the 40 patients in the temporal lobe group, 13 (32%) relapsed without antiepileptic drugs, as did 22 of the 40 extratemporal lobe resection patients (55%). Success rates for antiepileptic drug discontinuation after surgery were higher in the temporal lobe than in the extratemporal lobe group. Long-term antiepileptic drugs are not necessary in all cases, and for many children medication can be withdrawn after epilepsy surgery.

Prognosis of chronic and newly diagnosed epilepsy: revisiting temporal aspects

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose is to review recent papers on the prognosis of epilepsy, with an emphasis on the importance of considering the temporal aspects of epilepsy.

RECENT FINDINGS

The review considers five specific points: What is the chance of spontaneous remission without treatment (i.e. what is the natural history of untreated epilepsy)? What is the prognosis of epilepsy in newly diagnosed patients and how effective is therapy in previously drug-naïve patients? Does delaying treatment make long-term prognosis worse? Is the prognosis of chronic established epilepsy inevitably bad? Refractory epilepsy, pharmaco-resistance and the influence of time.

SUMMARY

This paper reviews the recent evidence that has provided data about temporal aspects of prognosis in epilepsy and confirms the importance of taking a synoptical view of prognosis, incorporating temporal aspects, in making clinical prognostic predictions.

Stopping antiepileptic drugs after epilepsy surgery: a survey of U.S. epilepsy center neurologists

One hundred fifty-one neurologists at U.S. epilepsy centers responded to a survey on stopping medications in patients following successful resective epilepsy surgery. Sixty-two percent said patients should be > or = 2 years seizure-free before stopping medication. Although respondents tended to agree about the importance of many of the queried factors (e.g., focal pathology in favor of and persistent auras against stopping antiepileptic drugs), it is unclear how well these factors determine seizure outcome in this setting.

Seizure freedom off antiepileptic drugs after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery

Data are limited on seizure recurrence after antiepileptic drug (AED) discontinuation in operated seizure-free patients. We reviewed seizure outcome in patients who came off AEDs after being seizure-free for 2 years following temporal lobe surgery in our center. Thirty-nine (68%) of 57 patients who discontinued AED therapy remained seizure-free. They had a younger age at surgery than the group with seizure recurrence (p=0.01). Earlier surgery may be a favorable predictor for seizure freedom after AED discontinuation.