title: Antiepileptic drug therapy and recommendations for withdrawal in patients with seizures and epilepsy due to neurocysticercosis.
abstract: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a leading causes of secondary epilepsy worldwide. There is increasing evidence on the epileptogenic role of NCC, and the presence of edema, calcified scars, gliosis and hippocampal sclerosis support this phenomenon.
  
  
  
  We summarized principles of antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy as well as risk factors associated with seizure recurrence after AED withdrawal in patients with NCC. Expert commentary: First-line AED monotherapy is effective as a standard approach to control seizures in most NCC patients. Risks and benefits of AED withdrawal have not been systematically studied, and this decision must be individualized. However, a seizure-free period of at least two years seem prudent before attempting withdrawal. Risk factors for seizure recurrence after AED withdrawal include a history of status epilepticus, poor seizure control during treatment, neuroimaging evidence of perilesional gliosis, hippocampal sclerosis and calcified lesions, as well as persistence of paroxysmal activity in the EEG.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Global Health - Tumbes , Lima , Peru.|b Department of Microbiology, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, and Cysticercosis Unit , Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas , Lima , Peru.
authors.forename: Javier A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bustos
authors.affiliation: a Center for Global Health - Tumbes , Lima , Peru.|b Department of Microbiology, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, and Cysticercosis Unit , Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas , Lima , Peru.
authors.forename: Héctor H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: c School of Medicine , Universidad Espíritu Santo - Ecuador , Guayaquil , Ecuador.
authors.forename: Oscar H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Del Brutto
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000150:complications*; D059906:Neuroimaging; D012008:Recurrence; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D028761:Withholding Treatment
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants
keywords: Neurocysticercosis; antiepileptic drug withdrawal; cysticercosis; epilepsy; seizures