Vagus nerve stimulation in refractory idiopathic generalised epilepsy: An Irish retrospective observational study.

Objective: Refractory idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE; also known as genetic generalised epilepsy) is a clinical challenge due to limited available therapeutic options. While vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is approved as an adjunctive treatment for drug-resistant focal epilepsy, there is limited evidence supporting its efficacy for refractory IGE.

Methods: We conducted a single-centre retrospective analysis of adult IGE patients treated with VNS between January 2003 and January 2022.

Adjunctive cenobamate in highly active and ultra-refractory focal epilepsy: A "real-world" retrospective study.

Objective: Recent clinical trials have shown that cenobamate substantially improves seizure control in focal-onset drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). However, little is known about cenobamate's performance in highly active (≥20 seizures/month) and ultra-refractory focal epilepsy (≥6 failed epilepsy treatments, including antiseizure medications [ASMs], epilepsy surgery, and vagus nerve stimulation). Here, we studied cenobamate's efficacy and tolerability in a "real-world" severe DRE cohort.

Changing antiepilepsy drug-prescribing trends in women with epilepsy in the UK and Ireland and the impact on major congenital malformations.

Objectives: After 20 years of data collection, pregnancy registers have informed prescribing practice. Various populations show trends for a reduction in valproate prescribing, which is associated with an increased risk of anatomical teratogenesis and neurodevelopmental effects in those exposed in utero. Our aim was to determine if any shifts in prescribing trends have occurred in the UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register cohort and to assess if there had been any change in the overall major congenital malformation (MCM) rate over time.

Levetiracetam in pregnancy: results from the UK and Ireland epilepsy and pregnancy registers.

Objectives: Levetiracetam is a broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug (AED) which is currently licensed in the United States and the United Kingdom and Ireland for use as adjunctive treatment of focal-onset seizures and myoclonic seizures or generalized tonic-clonic seizures, occurring as part of generalized epilepsy syndromes. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is also licensed as monotherapy treatment for focal-onset seizures. Previous small studies have suggested a low risk for major congenital malformations (MCM) with levetiracetam use in pregnancy.

Vigabatrin retinopathy in an Irish cohort: lack of correlation with dose.

Purpose: The anticonvulsant vigabatrin (VGB) causes irreversible visual-field constriction in 19-92% of patients. It is unclear whether this correlates with dosing, and the natural history of the retinopathy remains obscure. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients receiving long-term VGB to examine whether toxicity is related to the daily dose, duration of therapy, or cumulative dose.