Abstract
This study was undertaken to investigate the prognosis of posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) in 142 children who had completed in-patient rehabilitation in our hospital after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Thirty-seven cases developed epilepsy and 105 cases did not. The risk factors for PTE were abuse, acute subdural hematomas, severe and long consciousness loss, and complications such as poor mobility and mental deterioration. The incidence of PTE was low in the traffic accident and diffuse axonal injury groups.
The onset of PTE was within 2 years after TBI in 81.1% cases. The seizure types were partial seizures in 43 cases and generalized seizures in 13 cases. The average numbers of prescribed antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were 2.1 in the total cases, 2.9 AEDs in the high seizure frequency (more than once a week) group, and 1.6 AEDs in the low frequency (less than once a month) group. The main AEDs were carbamazepine and valproate, followed by phenytoin, phenobarbital and clonazepam.
