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NEUROLOGY 1989;39:1294
© 1989 American Academy of Neurology

Valproate prevents the recurrence of absence status

S. F. Berkovic, MD, F. Andermann, MD, A. Guberman, MD, D. Hipola, MD and P. F. Bladin, MD

Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Montreal, Quebec (Drs. Berkovic, Andermann, and Hipola)
Department of Neurology, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Australia (Drs. Berkovic and Bladin)
Division of Neurology, Ottawa General Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Dr. Guberman)

We assessed the value of valproate in the prevention of recurrent attacks of absence status in 25 patients. Eighteen patients had primary generalized epilepsy with a mean frequency of attacks of absence status of 5.7 per year. After a mean follow-up period of 4.4 years, the attack frequency was reduced to 0.6 per year (p < 0.0005); 14 patients had no recurrence, 3 had rare attacks with noncompliance, and 1 had an incomplete response probably due to gastrointestinal intolerance. Patients with evidence of generalized cerebral damage (n = 2) or with EEG evidence of focalization (n = 5) did not respond as favorably. Valproate is the drug of choice for the prevention of recurrence of absence status. Moreover, the response can be predicted on the basis of the electroclinical subtype of absence status.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Andermann, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, 3801 University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada.

Dr. Berkovic was supported by a Neil Hamilton Fairley Fellowship of the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

Received November 21, 1988. Accepted for publication in final form April 13, 1989.






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