A comparison of seizure outcome after callosotomy in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and a positive or negative history for West syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
This retrospective study was designed to clarify the role of West syndrome in post-callosotomy seizure outcome in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.


METHODS
From September 1989 to May 1999, 74 patients diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome received anterior corpus callosotomy at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. All patients were followed for more than 4 years after surgery. Among them, 21 (28.4%) patients had a history of West syndrome (Group A) whereas 53 (71.6%) patients did not have a history of West syndrome (Group B). Postoperative seizure outcome was compared for these two patient groups.


RESULTS
A total of 16 (76.2%) patients in Group A (positive history) and 29 (54.7%) patients in group B (negative history) achieved significant improvement in seizures after surgery (e.g., seizure reduction of more than 50%). There was no statistical significance (p=0.088) in the difference in outcome between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
A history of West syndrome does not appear to influence post-callosotomy seizure outcome in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Kwan
Shang-Yeong
SY
Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Group, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Lin
Ji-Ho
JH
Wong
Tai-Tong
TT
Chang
Kai-Ping
KP
Yiu
Chun-Hing
CH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000145:classification; D013036:Spasms, Infantile / Q000150:complications*; D016896:Treatment Outcome