title: Levetiracetam during 1-year follow-up in children, adolescents, and young adults with refractory epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam (LEV) in refractory crypto/symptomatic, partial or generalised epilepsy in children, adolescents and young adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a prospective open label add-on study in 99 patients (age 12 months to 32 years, mean 14 years) with partial or generalised, crypto/symptomatic seizures. Levetiracetam was added to no more than two baseline AEDs and the efficacy was rated according to seizure type and frequency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LEV was initiated at the starting dose of 10mg/kg/day with 5-day increments up to 50 mg/kg/day, unless it was not tolerated. Concomitant therapy was generally not modified throughout the study. After a mean follow-up period of 6.7 months (range 3 weeks to 29 months), 11 patients (11.1%) were free of seizures (cryptogenic partial epilepsy, 5; symptomatic partial epilepsy, 6). A more than 75% seizure decrease was found in 14 patients (14.1%) and >50% in 8 (8.1%). Seizures were unchanged in 38 (38.4%), and worsened in 23 (23.2%). Mild and transient adverse side effects were found in 17 patients (17.2%), mostly represented by irritability and drowsiness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LEV appears to be well tolerated in children and adolescents with severe epilepsy and seems to be a broad spectrum AED, though in our experience, it was more effective against partial seizures with or without secondarily generalisation. LEV efficacy in other epilepsy syndrome should be evaluated further in homogeneous, more selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Giangennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mangano
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tortorella
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pelliccia
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fels
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nardello
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Habetswallner
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Licciardi
authors.forename: Francesca Felicia
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Operto
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pascotto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008297:Male; D010889:Piracetam / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam