Abstracts

Rationale: We evaluated the efficacy, tolerability and safety of the ketogenic diet (KD) for intractable epilepsy in infancy. Methods: : This is a retrospective study of 37 infancies with intractable epilepsy who have started the KD from November 2003 to September 2008 at pediatric epilepsy clinic of Severance Children’s Hospital in Korea. Thirty-two patients had infantile spasms, 2 patients had partial seizures, 2 patients had early infantile epileptic encephalopathy, and 1 patient had severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy. Outcome measures included seizure frequency, complications, and growth profiles. Results: The KD could be maintained in 35/37 patients (94.6%) at 3 months, 32/37 patients (86.5%) at 6 months, and 23/37 patients (62.2%) at 12 months. By analysis of intention to treat, 18/37 patients (48.6%) obtained seizure free outcome at 3 months and 6 months and 15/37 patients (40.5%) at 12 months. Various complications occurred but most of them are transient and can be managed easily by conservative treatments. Standard deviation scores of growth profiles including body weight, height, head circumference had been reduced through the KD but no less than 3 percentile. All patients could catch up them of growth profiles after discontinuation of the KD. Conclusions: The KD could be safe and effective alternative treatment in infants with intractable epilepsy.