Timing Discontinuation of Antiepileptic Treatment in Childhood Epilepsies–The Role of the Sleep Deprivation EEG: A Preliminary Study

Abstract: Sleep deprivation EEGs can help us in timing discontinuation of antiepileptic treatment of childhood epilepsy. After 3–5 seizure-free years, a negative sleep deprivation EEG (i.e., the lack of any epileptiform potentials) is a good predictor of terminal remission of the seizures after cessation of the drug. In the drug-free follow-up period (in average 2 years) only 2/40 patients relapsed, 38/40 (= 95 percent) remained free of seizures. The results and limits of the study as well as the theoretical background are discussed briefly.