Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the relapse rate and associated factors following the discontinuation of antiseizure medication in pediatric patients diagnosed with epilepsy. This retrospective analysis included patients who were followed at the Pediatric Neurology Clinic of Balikesir Education and Research Hospital between August 2019 and June 2023, had received antiseizure medications for 12 to 48 months, and underwent gradual withdrawal of treatment.Clinical and demographic variables recorded included age at seizure onset, seizure type, etiology, family history of epilepsy, history of febrile seizures, presence of neurological comorbidities, number of antiseizure medications used, duration of treatment, number of seizures prior to remission, seizure-free period during treatment, age at the time of drug discontinuation, method of drug withdrawal, EEG findings prior to discontinuation, and time to seizure recurrence post-withdrawal. Among the 30 patients included in the study, 10 (33.3%) were female and 20 (66.7%) were male. The mean age was 8.8 ± 5.0 years (range: 3–18). The most common age of seizure onset was between 4-6 years (n = 9, 30%) and 12-14 years (n = 7, 23.3%). Focal seizures were identified in 3 patients (10%), while generalized seizures were observed in 27 patients (90%). The relapse rate after antiseizure medication (ASM) withdrawal was 3.3%. However, this rate should be interpreted with caution due to the limited sample size. The primary limitation of the study is its relatively small cohort, which may restrict the generalizability of the results. Despite this limitation, the study makes a novel contribution to the literature by concurrently evaluating both clinical and radiological parameters associated with seizure relapse following ASM withdrawal.

Key words: Antiseizure medication, relapse, epilepsy