Discontinuation of anticonvulsant therapy in children with partial epilepsy

To evaluate when it is possible to discontinue anticonvulsant treatment in children with cryptogenic partial epilepsy, the authors studied 89 epileptic children divided into two groups: Group A, 45 children whose therapy was discontinued after 1 year from the last seizure; and Group B, 44 children whose therapy was stopped after 2 years from the last seizure. After 5 years of follow-up, the recurrence rate was similar in the two groups of patients (Group A, 28.8%; Group B, 25%). It is safe to discontinue the anticonvulsant therapy in children with cryptogenic partial epilepsy who were seizure free for only 1 year.