Epilepsy diagnosis and treatment in children – new hopes and challenges – literature review

Abstract

Introduction andObjective. Epilepsy is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurological aberrations. Epileptic seizures are the main symptoms of the condition. Reducing the seizures is the main objective of the treatment. The aim of the review is to summarise current knowledge on diagnosis and various treatment methods of epilepsy among children. Review Methods. Scientific publications in PubMed, Google Scholar, Wiley Library, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.gov, and NCBI databases were searched for the review. More than 93% of the articles are less than eight years old. After an initial assessment of articles, meta-analyses and reviews on epilepsy, concerning the pharmacological, surgical, and gene therapy of epilepsy, were selected. Publications were analyzed using a non-systematic review method to create a brief synthesis of the information. Brief description of the state of knowledge. Diagnosis of epilepsy consists of subjective and objective examination of the patient and performing electroencephalography. Additional procedures, such as neuroimaging of the central nervous system, genetic testing, metabolic and immunological tests, may expand the diagnostic stage. Pharmacological methods prove that early initiation of treatment reduces the risk of relapse. First-line pharmacological treatment consists of carbamazepine, valproic acid, oxcarbazepine, and phenytoin. If epilepsy proves to be drug resistant, surgery is an alternative to pharmacotherapy. Invasive treatment consists of resection, separation and neurostimulation. Current knowledge also proves that there is relevant comorbidity among paediatric patients with epilepsy. Summary. The review emphasizes the development of currently used diagnostic methods, therapeutic options, and importance of further research.