[P2-135] The frequency of seizure relapse after stopping AEDs in patients with cryptogenic focal epilepsy
[Introduction] Some studies have been conducted to determine the risk of relapse after antiepileptic drug (AED) withdrawal. However, there are not much reviews on the seizure relapse in patients with cryptogenic focal epilepsy. [Aim] To evaluate the relapse rate of epilepsy associated to AED withdrawal in cryptogenic focal epilepsy patients, and to determine the risk factors of seizure recurrence. [Methodology] A prospective study. Fourteen patients with cryptogenic focal epilepsy who had been seizure-free for at least three years were proposed to stop AED treatment between April 2010 and March 2015 and were followed. We defined cryptogenic focal epilepsy as an epilepsy without underlying genetic, structural, or metabolic etiology, not idiopathic focal epilepsy syndrome, and with normal development. [Result] Seizures recurred in 8(57.1%) of the patients. Four patients had relapsed while reducing the AED dose and the other four patients within 2 years from the AED withdrawal. Between the remission group and the relapsed group, no statistically significant differences concerning the age at onset, the whole duration of AED therapy, the duration of AED therapy after the last seizure were found. However, in the remission group, the age at onset was younger and the whole duration of AED therapy was longer than in the relapsed group. [Conclusions] Our data have shown the difficulty of predicting the recurrence of cryptogenic focal epilepsy after AED withdrawal. The decision regarding the medication withdrawal in a patient who is seizure free should be made jointly by the physician, the patient , and the family.