Care delivery and self-management strategies for children with epilepsy
Abstract Background Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting both children and adults. Epileptic seizures are the result of excessive and abnormal cortical cell electrical activity in the brain. In response to criticism that epilepsy care for children has little impact on long‐term outcomes, healthcare professionals and administrators have developed various service models and strategies to […]
Transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy
Abstract Background Epilepsy is a highly prevalent neurological condition characterised by repeated unprovoked seizures with various aetiologies. Although antiepileptic medications produce clinical improvement in many individuals, nearly a third of individuals have drug‐resistant epilepsy that carries significant morbidity and mortality, and even individuals who have clinical improvement from antiepileptic medications often report iatrogenic symptoms. There […]
Strategies for improving adherence to antiepileptic drug treatment in patients with epilepsy
Abstract Background Poor adherence to antiepileptic medication is associated with increased mortality, morbidity and healthcare costs. In this review, we focus on interventions designed and tested in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi‐RCTs to assist people with adherence to antiepileptic medication. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2011, and last […]
Psychological treatments for people with epilepsy
Abstract Background Given the significant impact epilepsy may have on the health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) of individuals with epilepsy and their families, there is increasing clinical interest in evidence‐based psychological treatments, aimed at enhancing psychological and seizure‐related outcomes for this group. This is an updated version of the original Cochrane Review published in Issue 10, […]
EEG for children with complex febrile seizures
Abstract Background Febrile seizures can be classified as simple or complex. Complex febrile seizures are associated with fever that lasts longer than 15 minutes, occur more than once within 24 hours, and are confined to one side of the child’s body. It is common in some countries for doctors to recommend an electroencephalograph (EEG) for […]
Treatments for the prevention of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)
Abstract Background This is an updated version of the original Cochrane Review, published in 2016, Issue 7. Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is defined as sudden, unexpected, witnessed or unwitnessed, non‐traumatic or non‐drowning death of people with epilepsy, with or without evidence of a seizure, excluding documented status epilepticus and in whom postmortem examination […]
Surgery for epilepsy
Abstract Background This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review, published in 2015. Focal epilepsies are caused by a malfunction of nerve cells localised in one part of one cerebral hemisphere. In studies, estimates of the number of individuals with focal epilepsy who do not become seizure‐free despite optimal drug therapy vary between […]
The role of high-frequency oscillations in epilepsy surgery planning
Abstract Background Epilepsy is a serious brain disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. Approximately two-thirds of seizures can be controlled with antiepileptic medications (Kwan 2000). For some of the others, surgery can completely eliminate or significantly reduce the occurrence of disabling seizures. Localization of epileptogenic areas for resective surgery is far from perfect, and new […]
Deep brain and cortical stimulation for epilepsy
Abstract Background Despite optimal medical treatment, including epilepsy surgery, many epilepsy patients have uncontrolled seizures. Since the 1970s interest has grown in invasive intracranial neurostimulation as a treatment for these patients. Intracranial stimulation includes both deep brain stimulation (DBS) (stimulation through depth electrodes) and cortical stimulation (subdural electrodes). This is an updated version of a previous […]
Self management programmes for quality of life in people with stroke
Abstract Background Stroke results from an acute lack of blood supply to the brain and becomes a chronic health condition for millions of survivors around the world. Self management can offer stroke survivors a pathway to promote their recovery. Self management programmes for people with stroke can include specific education about the stroke and likely […]