Abstracts

Oxcarbazepine (OXC) was approved as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of focal epilepsies in patients older than 4 years. 30 patients (14 male, 16 female) younger than 3 years (mean age 20 months) has been placed on OXC from April 2001 until February 2004. Most of them had focal epilepsies (26 symptomatic, 2 cryptogenic). They have beeen treated with 3,5 (mean) AEDs before without effect. Mean age at first seizure was 8,8 months. 4 patients received OXC-monotherapy. There was no prefered comedication. 2 patients became seizure free for longer than one year, 4 were seizure free from 4 weeks to 11 months, 1 for 4 weeks only. 5 had seizure reduction 75-99%, 10 showed a 50-75% seizure reduction. 4 patients had no effect, 4 had a provocation of seizures. Mean OXC-dose was 58,6 mg/kg BW (maximum 106 mg/kg BW ) in effective treated patients with mean 10-OH-Carbazepine serum levels of 26 mg/l. We have seen no severe unwanted side effects. Hyponatremia was transient only in one child. Oxcarbazepine is as well effective and as well tolerated in children younger than3 years compared to older patients. In relation to bodyweight younger children need a higher OXC-dose to reach the same bloodserumlevels. It is also well tolerated as monotherapy.