Abstracts

We previously reported our findings on 13 children with partial seizures treated with oxcarbazepine (OXC) during the open label phase of a multi center drug trial (Annals of Neurology,1998;44:580). We now describe our clinical experience with an additional 13 children treated with OXC subsequent to FDA approval. Eleven children with focal or multifocal seizure disorders who had incomplete seizure control were treated with OXC. The children ranged in age from 3 to 17 years. There were 6 boys and 5 girls. 7 of 11 children were on carbamazepine (CBZ) prior to starting OXC. Four were on other medications. Doses of OXC ranged from 7 mg/kg/d to 53 mg/kg/d. Of the 11 children with incomplete seizure control, 7 had greater than 50% reduction in seizures on OXC compared to baseline: 5 were seizure-free, 4 of whom were successfully controlled on OXC monotherapy. One child had an exacerbation of seizures after introduction of OXC (at a dose of 22 mg/kg/d). Three had discontinuation of OXC due to adverse effects: hyponatremia in one and rash in 2. Of the 2 who developed a rash one had a previous allergic response to CBZ, the other had been treated with CBZ with no skin reaction. When combined with our previous 13 patients: of 24 patients with incomplete seizure control, 15 children had greater than 50% reduction in seizure frequency; 6 of those 15 were seizure free. Nine children were converted to OXC monotherapy. Four children had a worsening of their seizure frequency. Three children had adverse effects necessitating withdrawal of OXC. Two boys who were seizure-free on CBZ but whose parents reported an unacceptable degree of sedation were successfully controlled on OXC (doses: 8 and 18 mg/kg/d) with improved level of alertness. OXC is an effective agent for children with partial seizures with a favorable side effect profile.