Abstracts

Rationale: 1. To prospectively assess the frequency, type, severity and course of surgical admissions among the long-term residents of the Epilepsy Center Kork. 2. To investigate the impact of active epilepsies on the frequency and severity of surgically relevant events. Methods: In our centre all long-term residents are exclusively referred to the General surgeon practicing on the campus. In 2005, we prospectively documented all surgical admissions among those patients and scored systematically the diagnoses, severity, relationship to epileptic seizures, course and outcome. Since all patients suffer from comparable mental and physical handicaps we divided the patients in two groups comprising 285 patients with active epilepsies and 53 controls who either never had epileptic seizures or were seizure-free for more than 4 years. Statistical investigations addressed the impact of active epilepsies on the risk of surgically relevant insults. Results: The one-year incidence of injuries was 54.2% among residents with active epilepsies and 36.8% among the controls (p = 0.02). Several admissions due to differing reasons occurred in 16.8% of residents with active epilepsies and in 7.5% of the controls (not significant). More than two admissions due to various reasons occurred only in the group with active epilepsy syndromes. (range 3-9). 41.3% of all injuries were directly related to seizures. In the group of active epilepsies, the three most frequent injuries were lacerations, bruises and fractures (29.6%, 17,0%, 11,7%). The number of antiepileptic drugs did not significantly influence the risk of surgical admissions nor was the intake of enzyme-inducing drugs a significant risk factor for fractures. Conclusions: In this unique prospective study design under very homogenous patient and observer conditions we could show that active epilepsies significantly elevate the risk of injuries.