Intractable Epilepsy in Children

A seizure is defined as a paroxysmal and transient occurrence of signs or symptoms resulting from abnormal synchronous or excessive neuronal activity in the brain. About 15 to 40 percent of children who have any type of seizure are resistant to standard anti-seizure drugs, so called intractable epilepsy. Before documenting the seizure attacks as refractory, the selected drugs using for the type of seizure and dose of them should be checked. There are several factors that predict development of refractory seizures. These include age <1 year, multiple seizures before starting the treatment, myoclonic seizures, neurologic defects, neonatal and daily seizures, male gender, and first abnormal electroencephalogram and brain imaging (including computerized tomography scan and / or MRI). Options for the management of refractory epilepsy, after prescribing routine anti-seizure drugs are: Second line drugs (IVIG treatment, Ketogenic diet, Prednisolone treatment or Herbal treatment), Surgery and Stem cell therapy. Because none of these methods can stop all the drug-resistant epilepsies, researches are going on.