Carbamazepine Therapy and LongTerm Prognosis in Epilepsy of Childhood

Abstract

Sixty-seven of 90 patients (74% who had been treated with carbamazepine (CBZ) alone were seizure-free for greater than 3 years. The EEG of the patients given CBZ monotherapy was more often normal in those without neurologic abnormalities other than mental retardation or a genetic predisposition. The prognosis of patients with partial seizures secondarily generalized was poorer than that of the other patients. Patients without mental retardation more often had monotherapy CBZ. The lowest blood level of CBZ for maintenance was considered to be 4 micrograms/ml, although the therapeutic blood level was between 6 and 12 micrograms/ml. Most of the side effects were mild.