Vagus nerve stimulation in children with intractable epilepsy: a randomized controlled trial.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in children with intractable epilepsy on seizure frequency and severity and in terms of tolerability and safety.

Method: In this study, the first randomized active controlled trial of its kind in children, 41 children (23 males; 18 females; mean age at implantation 11y 2mo, SD 4y 2mo, range 3y 10mo-17y 8mo) were included. Thirty-five participants had localization-related epilepsy (25 symptomatic; 10 cryptogenic), while six participants had generalized epilepsy (four symptomatic; two idiopathic).

The ketogenic diet as a treatment option in adults with chronic refractory epilepsy: efficacy and tolerability in clinical practice.

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, low-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that is used as a treatment for patients with difficult-to-control epilepsy. The present study assesses the efficacy and tolerability of the KD as an add-on therapy in adults with chronic refractory epilepsy. 15 adults were treated with the classical diet or MCT diet.

Clinical impact of short tau inversion recovery MRI on staging and management in patients with cervical lymph node metastases of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Background: We investigated the incremental diagnostic value of short tau inversion recovery (STIR) MRI to detect cervical nodal metastases in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with cervical nodal metastases underwent MRI preceding neck dissection. Two readers evaluated MRI versus MRI with STIR.

The diagnosis of epileptic and non-epileptic seizures.

The aim of this prospective population-based study was to systematically define a cluster of diagnostic items which can assist in the early identification and classification of epileptic and non-epileptic seizures. A cohort of patients aged > or =14 years, suspected with a first epileptic seizure, were included in this study. A team of neurologists evaluated and classified all cases.

The costs of epilepsy in three different populations of patients with epilepsy.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the costs of care in three different populations of patients with epilepsy (general practices (GP), University Hospital (UH), and Epilepsy Center (EC)), and to analyse the distribution of costs by type of services for each patient group. A cost diary was developed to obtain prospective information on epilepsy-attributable service use over a period of 3 months. Similar information over the previous 3 months was obtained from a cost questionnaire.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of incidence studies of epilepsy and unprovoked seizures.

Purpose: To evaluate the methodology of incidence studies of epilepsy and unprovoked seizures and to assess the value of their findings by summarizing their results.

Methods: A Medline literature search from January 1966 to December 1999 was conducted. In each selected study, key methodologic items such as case definition and study design were evaluated.