Isoflurane anaesthesia in the treatment of convulsive status epilepticus

Summary Status epilepticus may be resistant to intravenous anticonvulsive drugs. In these cases treatment with the inhalation anaesthetic agent isoflurane may be helpful in the further management. We describe a 35-year-old female patient who suffered from status epilepticus with partial seizures. In spite of therapy with benzodiazepine and phenytoin the status evolved into tonic clonic seizures. Treatment with thiopentone sodium did not stop seizure activity. Anaesthesia with isoflurane (dosage up to 1.5 vol.%) carried out twice within 72 h finally led to a termination of status epilepticus. From our own experience and reports in the literature we conclude that general anaesthesia with isoflurane can and should be used in the treatment of severe status epilepticus that does not respond to intravenous anticonvulsive agents.