title: Cerebellar atrophy does not increase susceptibility to carbamazepine toxicity.
abstract: Cerebellar atrophy (CA) is a frequent finding in patients with chronic epilepsy. To find out whether the existence of CA has an influence on the tolerance of high-dose monotherapy with carbamazepine, we compared the lowest individual toxic serum levels in patients with complex focal seizures, with CA (n = 27) and without CA (n = 20) in computerized tomography (CT). There was no statistical difference between the groups, even after separating patients with mild CA (n = 20) from those with more severe damage (n = 7). In addition, other clinical, EEG and CT data also seemed to have no influence on the individual toxic threshold serum levels of carbamazepine.
authors.affiliation: Klinik Mara 1, Epilepsy-Center Bethel, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Meencke
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000187:drug effects; D009759:Nystagmus, Pathologic / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D002220:Carbamazepine