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DOI: 10.1177/0883073807299973 Levetiracetam for the Treatment of Neonatal SeizuresDepartment of Neonatology, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, Texas
Department of Pediatric Neurology Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, Texas, joshua.rotenberg{at}lackland.af.mil Seizures are a common occurrence in the neonatal intensive care unit, especially among low-birth-weight infants. The efficacy and safety of standard anticonvulsants have not been evaluated extensively in the neonate. In addition, there is concern for the adverse effects of phenobarbital on long-term development. Levetiracetam has been a commonly prescribed oral anticonvulsant for the use of adjunctive therapy for partial seizures in adults with favorable tolerability, and it has been recently approved for children older than age 4 years. There are no published studies regarding the safety and efficacy of this medication in the infant population. This report describes the initiation of levetiracetam in 3 infants, aged 2 days to 3 months, for refractory seizures or intolerance to other anticonvulsants. Each patient was without seizure on levetiracetam monotherapy, and there were no adverse effects.
Key Words: levitiracetam neonate seizure
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