Management of Infantile Epilepsies

According to Management of Infantile Epilepsies, a new AHRQ evidence review, options exist to treat epilepsy in infants, although the evidence is limited.

The findings from the AHRQ report were described in two concurrent publications in the journal Neurology, one reviewing the evidence on surgical treatments, and the other reviewing the evidence on medication and dietary treatments. The first review provided low-strength evidence suggesting some infants achieved seizure freedom after epilepsy surgery. The other review found that some infants given levetiracetam are more likely to be seizure free, but data on six other medications were insufficient to determine effectiveness. For diets, the ketogenic diet eliminated seizures for some infants, and both the ketogenic diet and the modified Atkins diet reduced average seizure frequency, but reductions were greater with the ketogenic diet. Dietary harms were not well-reported.

Select to access Management of Infantile Epilepsies, which was funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.