Early predictors of intractability in patients with symptomatic epilepsy

Aim: The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the risk factors associated with resistance to therapy. So, we aimed to determine earlier and save time to direct multi- drug and alternative therapy of these patient who have intractable medical therapies.Materials and methods: Seventy-five patient?s datas were analyzed for retrospective. Patients were divided three groups. Children who had given at least two antiepileptic drug and had at least one epileptic fit/ per month within 6 months were defined in Group 1, who had given at least two antiepileptic drug and only one or less than one epileptic fit/ per month within 6 months in Group 2 and who had semptomatic epilepsy and not experience any recurrent seizure for at least one year in Group 3. Idiopathic epilepsy, catastrophic and known poor prognostic diseases such as neurodegenerative and neurometabolic diseases, West syndrome, Lennox-Gestaut syndrome were excluded in this study.Results: Although age, relationship, mental retardation, history of family epilepsy, history of newborn epilepsy and febril status and frequency of seizures before antiepileptic therapy, neurological anomaly, epileptic activity in EEG, neuroradiological anomaly were not significant, status epilepticus was an important risk factor for intractability.Conclusion: We suggested that SE was an important and independent risk factor for symptomatic epilepsy group. In line with these findings, it was concluded that the epileptic children who present with epilepsy and have these risk factors should be referred to a center where epileptic surgery is carried out without delay and earlier enforcemend for use of rational multidrug regimens.Key words: Epilepsy, symptomatic, intractable factors, status epilepticus