title: [Therapy of infantile spasms (West syndrome) with sodium dipropylacetate].
abstract: The authors report the results obtained in 42 patients affected by infantile spasms syndrome during treatment with Sodium Dipropylacetic acid. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the aetiology: idiopathic and secondary. In the first group the use of DPK as determined the disappearance of the seizures in 6 cases (40%), reduction of the crises beyond 50% in 7 cases (46.6%), while in 2 subjects (13.3%) the crises persisted. In the secondary group the crises ceased in 3 cases (11.1%), in 17 (62.9%) there were a reduction of the crises beyond 50%, no response to the drug was observed in 7 subjects (25.9%). In 10 patients the anticonvulsant treatment was progressively diminished and was substituted with hormonal treatment. The long term follow up (1-6 years) gives the following results: the seizures persisted in 2 cases (18.18%) among the idiopathic form and in 6 cases (28.57%) among the secondary group. Mental retardation was found in 4 subjects (36.36%) among the idiopathic group and in 12 patients (57.14%) among the secondary group. The authors shortly report the side effect of the hormonal treatment: they prefer the initiation of treatment of I.S. with anticonvulsant drug and suggest to resort to the ACTH when the initial treatment is unsuccessful.
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D013036:Spasms, Infantile / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014635:Valproic Acid; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
vernacular_title: Terapia degli spasmi infantili (sindrome di West) con dipropilacetato di sodio.