title: Therapeutic Success of the Ketogenic Diet as a Treatment Option for Epilepsy: a Meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To systematically evaluate therapeutic success of the ketogenic diet (KD) as a treatment option for epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using MEDLINE and Google Scholar search, we searched for studies investigating the therapeutic success of ketogenic diet for epilepsy. We estimated therapeutic success rate for ketogenic diet as a treatment option for epilepsy and its 95% CIs using generic inverse variance method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 38 studies met the inclusion criteria. In retrospective studies, the weighted success rate of the patients who take the KD as a treatment option for epilepsy was 58.4% (95% confidence interval (95%CI)=48.7% - 69.9%) at 3 months (n=336); 42.8% (95%CI =36.3% - 50.3%) at 6 months (n=492), and 30.1% (95%CI =24.3% - 37.2%) at 12 months (n=387); in prospective studies, weighted success rate was 53.9% (95%CI 45.5% - 63.8%) at 3 months (n=474); 53.2% (95%CI =44.0% - 64.2%) at 6 months (n=321), and 55.0% (95%CI =45.9% - 65.9%) at 12 months (n=347).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This meta-analysis provides formal statistical support for the efficacy of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of epileptic patients.
authors.affiliation: The Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China.
authors.forename: Gangqiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ding
keywords: Children; Epilepsy; Ketogenic Diet; Meta-Analysis