Marija Knezevic Pogancev
University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Title: Antiepileptic drug therapy discontinuation risk in children with focal symptomatic epilepsy and cerebral palsy
Biography
Biography: Marija Knezevic Pogancev
Abstract
Decision to withdraw of antiepileptic drugs must be based on a balanced view of the overall risk of seizure relapse, the factors most likely to affect that risk, and the medical, emotional and social implications of antiepileptic drug treatment. It’s hard to decide to start discontinuation of antiepileptic drug treatment in children with cerebral palsy, even its accepted children with cerebral palsy and epilepsy have essentially the same risk for seizure relapse after antiepileptic drug treatment discontinuation when compared with other epileptic children. Polytherapy necessary for reaching stable epileptic seizure control with (RR 1,39), and polytherapy at the time of starting antiepileptic drugs tapering, (RR 1,62) are factor we could identify that significantly increases the risk of relapse after discontinuation of antiepileptic drug treatment in children with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Discontinuation of AEDs in children with epilepsy and cerebral palsy who have seizure remission periods of 3 or more, using one antiepileptic drug can, and should be, practiced when possible.