OBJECTIVE Adequate control of intractable epilepsy continues to be a challenge. Little is known about the role of VNS therapy in intractable epilepsy in patients who failed to respond to surgical management. The objective of the present study is to determine the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation therapy in patients with intractable epilepsy who have failed surgical and medical therapy. METH...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The ketogenic diet is an effective medical therapy for intractable childhood epilepsy. However, it has drawbacks in that it restricts calories, fluids and protein. The Atkins diet may also induce ketosis without those restrictions. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of a modified Atkins diet in children with intractable childhood epilepsy. METHODS This clinical tri...

A case of intractable seizures, originating in the motor cortex, was successfully treated with excision of the seizure focus after precise location of the focus on depth electrode recordings. The depth electrode was placed stereotactically with coordinates from xenon-enhanced CT images. Prior attempts at treating the seizures with ablation of seizure foci had resulted in disappearance of seizur...

OBJECT The authors undertook this study to review their experience with cortical resections in the rolandic region in children with intractable epilepsy. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records obtained in 22 children with intractable epilepsy arising from the rolandic region. All patients underwent preoperative electroencephalography (EEG), MR imaging, prolonged vide...

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common type of medically intractable epilepsy in adults and children, and mesial temporal sclerosis is the most common underlying cause of TLE. Unlike in the case of adults, TLE in infants and young children often has etiologies other than mesial temporal sclerosis, such as tumors, cortical dysplasia, trauma, and vascular malformations. Differences in se...

The ketogenic diet has traditionally been considered an anticonvulsant therapy of last resort, despite excellent efficacy and limited side effects. We hypothesized that the ketogenic diet would have similar results in patients with new-onset epilepsy. A retrospective study was conducted of patients started on the ketogenic diet since 1994. Thirteen of 460 (2.8%) patients were started on the ket...

An observational study of all children with intractable epilepsy at the Paediatric Institute prescribed Lamotrigine as an add-on therapy between January 1994 and November 1998 was conducted. A total of 30 children were recruited. Three had adverse effects to the drug and it was withdrawn. Of the remaining 27, there were 20 boys and 7 girls, ranging from 2 to 17 years. Fifteen children had gener...

OBJECTIVE Approximately one third of epileptic children are resistant to anticonvulsant drugs. This study evaluates the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of pregabalin as adjunctive therapy in epileptic children relative to Zonisamide. MATERIALS & METHODS From April 2012 to November 2012,121 children were referred to Mofid Children's Hospital with intractable epilepsy and enrolled in th...

We examined the effect of acupuncture on epileptic seizures in humans in a controlled clinical setting. Treatment was administered by two Chinese professors of acupuncture. Effect was measured by change in seizure frequency. Twenty-nine patients with chronic intractable epilepsy completed the study. They were randomized in two groups; 15 were given classical acupuncture and 14 were given sham a...

Clobazam, a novel benzodiazepine, was used as an add-on agent in 47 adult patients with intractable epilepsy and a variety of seizure types. A greater than 75% reduction in seizure frequency was observed in 42% (18) of the patients and a greater than 50% reduction in 65% (29) of the patients which was sustained over a mean follow-up period of 13.3 (+/- 5.6) months. Nine patients had to disconti...