AOCCN2017

Presentation information

Morning Seminar

[MS11] Morning Seminar 11: Ketogenic Diet

Sun. May 14, 2017 7:30 AM - 8:20 AM Room C (1F Argos D)

Chair: Mohammad Ghofrani (Pediatric Neurology Research Center / Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Mofid Children Hospital )

[MS11-4C-1] Ketogenic Diet: Overview

Heung Dong KIM (Department of Pediatrics, Epilepsy Research Institute, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
)

Ketogenic diet has been used for treating intractable epilepsy since its resurgence from 1994. There have been a lot of modifications and advances to make the diet for more potency and safety.
Scientific evidences from many clinical data and experimental researches revealed its efficacy and mechanisms for anti-epileptic action.
Drug-resistant epilepsy in pediatric age frequently combines conditions of progressive cerebral functional impairment, so called epileptic encephalopathy. Many forms of epileptic syndromes are included in this category, which eventually cause further developmental deficits from epileptic insult to developing brain. Theoretically, shortening duration of epileptic insult might have benefit to prevent developmental declining from epilepsy.
Ketogenic diet is difficult to maintain for prolonged duration of treatment usually in Asian food culture, but it has been successfully used in same situation, especially in controlling intractable pediatric epilepsy. There are many limiting factors to provide safe and easy application such as early age, feeding difficulties, negative attitudes to dietary treatment, and difficulty to learn dietary preparation.
Despite of its difficulties, many intractable epilepsy patients showed surprisingly favourable outcome by the KD.
In this session, we would discuss about actual benefit and limitation for using the dietary treatment, together with potential risks, dietary variability, appropriate timing to move from AED treatment, and more favourable indication.