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Epileptic Disorders

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Epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures: three patients treated with the ketogenic diet Volume 17, numéro 2, June 2015

Illustrations


  • Figure 1

  • Figure 2
Auteurs
1 Neurology Department, Pediatric Hospital “Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan”, Buenos Aires
2 Neurology Department, Pediatric Hospital “Humberto Notti”, Mendoza
3 Neurology Department, Pediatric Hospital “Victor J Vilela”, Rosario, Argentina
* Correspondence: Roberto Horacio Caraballo Neurology Department, Hospital de Pediatría “Prof Dr Juan P Garrahan”, Combate de los Pozos 1881, CP 1245 Buenos Aires, Argentina

We present three patients with epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures treated with the ketogenic diet.

Between February 1, 2012 and January 31, 2014, three patients who met the diagnostic criteria for migrating focal seizures in infancy at our department were placed on the ketogenic diet and followed for a minimum of seven months.

Two of the three children responded well to the ketogenic diet. One of these patients became seizure-free and his neuropsychological performance also significantly improved. The other child had a seizure reduction of 75% to 99% with only weekly seizures and moderate psychomotor improvement. For these two patients who responded well to the ketogenic diet, hospital admission was not required. The remaining patient had a seizure reduction of less than 50%. Tolerability of the diet was good in all three patients.

Early treatment with the ketogenic diet should be considered for epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures to control seizures and status epilepticus, and avoid progressive cognitive impairment.