Effects of antiepileptic drugs on evoked potentials in epileptic children

To evaluate the visual and auditory function in children and adolescents who are undergoing monotherapy with sodium valproate, carbamazepine, and phenobarbital visual-evoked potentials and brainstem auditory-evoked potentials were measured in 58 epileptic patients (30 males and 28 females), ages 13.7 ± 6.9 years. Fifty healthy sex- and age-matched children served as controls. The measurements were performed before the beginning of therapy and after 12 months. Before the beginning of therapy, there were no significant differences in visual- and auditory-evoked potentials between the control group and the three groups of epileptic children. After 12 months of therapy, patients treated with carbamazepine demonstrated a significant (P < 0.001) increase of P100 latencies when compared with baseline data and control values; moreover, these patients exhibited a significant increase of peak latencies of waves I-III-V and interpeak interval I-V at auditory second evaluation. The patients treated with sodium valproate manifested a significant (P < 0.05) increase in VEP P100 latencies. On the contrary, children receiving phenobarbital did not manifest any significant abnormality at visual- and auditory-evoked potentials measurements. Our study demonstrates that for patients treated with carbamazepine and sodium valproate, an electrophysiologic dysfunction of visual and auditory sensory pathways can be present after 12 months of treatment.