title: Prophylaxis of the epilepsies: should anti-epileptic drugs be used for preventing seizures after acute brain injury?
abstract: In many circumstances antiepileptic drugs are used in patients who have never presented any clinical epileptic seizures. These substances are administered on the assumption of a potential risk for the patients of developing acute or delayed chronic seizures after brain injuries such as trauma, stroke, hemorrages or even neurosurgical interventions. The aim of this paper is to propose therapeutic guidelines for the management of this prophylactic attitude in epilepsy based on basic research and clinical practice in the French community in Belgium. We will distinguish between the prevention of acute (early onset-provoked) seizures and a delayed truly post-lesional (unprovoked) epilepsy. Some therapeutic goals can be achieved under the former circumstances whereas in the latter situation we all agree for the absence of any coherent antiepileptic prophylactic behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Université de Liège-Faculté de Médecine, CHU-Liège-Service de Neurologie, Secteur d'exploration des épilepsies, CNCM, Belgium. tgrisar@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grisar
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bottin
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: de Borchgrave d'Alténa
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brichart
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delcourt
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dubru
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foulon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghariani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hotermans
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Legros
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ossemann
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sadzot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tugendhaft
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Bogaert
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van Rijckevorsel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Verheulpen
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants