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9 - What to Do When Your Patient Fails Two Antiseizure Medicines

Managing Drug-Resistant Epilepsy as an Outpatient

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2023

Patrick Landazuri
Affiliation:
University of Kansas Medical Centre
Nuria Lacuey Lecumberri
Affiliation:
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
Laura Vilella Bertran
Affiliation:
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
Mark Farrenburg
Affiliation:
University of Kansas Medical Centre
Samden Lhatoo
Affiliation:
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
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Summary

Around a third of patients have drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). This is crucially and easily determined if a patient continues to have seizures after being on two adequately dosed and appropriately selected antiseizure medicines (ASMs). For these patients, your initial efforts to make a specific and localized diagnosis will inform next treatment decisions. If a patient presents suddenly with DRE, it is key to assess for a possible autoimmune cause, as a separate treatment pathway should be considered. Otherwise, consider epilepsy surgery as an effective treatment. These treatments include brain resections and neuromodulation. Minimally invasive techniques have recently become more common, including laser surgery as well as stereotactically placed depth electrodes. Given the prevalence of neurostimulators, consideration for obtaining MRIs in patients with these devices is addressed, as pathways exist for all of these patients to safely undergo MRI testing.

Type
Chapter
Information
Seizure and Epilepsy Care
The Pocket Epileptologist
, pp. 156 - 174
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

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