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NEUROLOGY 1988;38:743
© 1988 American Academy of Neurology

Effect of vigabatrin on epilepsy in mentally retarded patients

A 7-month follow-up study

R. Matilainen, MD, A. Pitkänen, MD, PhD, T. Ruutiainen, MD, E. Mervaala, MD, PhD, H. Sarlund, MD, PhD and P. Riekkinen, MD, PhD

From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. Pitkänen and Riekkinen) and Internal Medicine (Dr. Sarlund), University of Kuopio, and Vaajasalo Epilepsy Hospital (Drs. Matilainen, Ruutiainen, and Mervaala), Kuopio, Finland.

We studied the antiepileptic potency of vigabatrin ({gamma}-vinyl GABA, GVG) as an open trial in a group of 36 mentally handicapped patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (30 had seizures of partial onset and 6 had primary generalized [PG] tonic-clonic convulsions). With this treatment, 13 (43%) of the patients with seizures of partial onset and 2 (33%) with PG had more than 50% reduction in seizure frequency. The antiepileptic effect appeared during the first month of therapy and continued throughout the 7-month study. The side effects were mild: tiredness, aggressiveness, and ataxia. Other antiepileptic drugs remained at baseline levels during GVG therapy. GVG did not alter EEG recordings. Our results suggest that GVG is effective for treatment of intractable epilepsy, especially the partial type, in mentally retarded patients. Longer follow-up is needed, however, to determine that the clinical effect is maintained and that no severe side effects appear.

Addreas correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Riekkinen, Department of Neurology, University of Kuopio, PO Box 6, SF-70 211 Kuopio, Finland.

Received March 24, 1987. Accepted for publication in final form September 21, 1987.






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