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Rani V, Gehlawat VK, Arya V. Albendazole and praziquantel combination versus albendazole alone in children with multiple neurocysticercosis: An open labelled randomized controlled trial. J Family Med Prim Care 2024; 13:2300-2304. [PMID: 39027868 PMCID: PMC11254057 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_733_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Context The efficacy of the combination of albendazole and praziquantel has not been thoroughly studied in multiple neurocysticercosis in children. Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of albendazole and praziquantel combination versus albendazole alone in the treatment of children with multiple neurocysticercosis in terms of proportion of cysts undergoing complete resolution or calcification at 6-month follow-up. Materials and Methods A total of 52 children, aged 1-14 years, with newly diagnosed two or more active neurocysticercosis were randomized to either group A or B. Group A (n = 26) received albendazole plus praziquantel, and Group B (n = 26) received albendazole alone. At the end of 6 months, a repeat MRI brain was performed to see for the resolution of cysts and was classified as complete resolution, calcified, or persistence of viable and noncalcified cysts. Results The proportion of cysts undergoing complete resolution was higher in Group A (23/60 [38.33%]) than in Group B (19/65 [29.23%]), but the difference was not statistically significant. The proportion of cysts undergoing calcification was also comparable in Group A (20/60 [33.33%]) and Group B (20/65 [30.77%]). Both groups had comparable safety profiles. Conclusion Albendazole and praziquantel combination therapy is as effective as albendazole alone in terms of complete resolution of viable cysts and calcification of cysts.Trial registration: CTRI/2021/12/038492.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Rani
- Department of Pediatrics, Pt. BD Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
| | | | - Vandana Arya
- Department of Pediatrics, Pt. BD Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
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Sharawat IK, Murugan VK, Bhardwaj S, Tomar A, Tiwari L, Dhamija P, Panda PK. Efficacy and safety of phenytoin and levetiracetam for acute symptomatic seizures in children with acute encephalitis syndrome: an open label, randomised controlled trial. Seizure 2024; 118:110-116. [PMID: 38678766 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2024.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Seizures represent a significant comorbidity in children with acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). Despite this, there is a notable absence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) directly comparing antiseizure medications (ASMs) in children with AES. MATERIALS AND METHODS This RCT aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of phenytoin and levetiracetam in controlling seizures among children with AES. Both ASMs were administered with a loading followed by maintenance dose. After a 12-week period, children exhibiting a normal electroencephalogram and no seizure recurrence underwent tapering and discontinuation of ASM. Clinical follow-up occurred daily for the first week, and subsequently at 4, 12, and 24 weeks, evaluating seizure recurrence, incidence of status epilepticus, cognition, behavior, functional status, ASM acquisition cost, and adverse effects. RESULTS A total of 100 children (50 in each group) were enrolled. Within the first week, 5 and 3 children in the phenytoin and levetiracetam groups expired. Up to 1 week or death (whichever occurred earliest), 46 (92 %) and 44 (88 %) children remained seizure-free. Intention-to-treat analysis for both best and worst-case scenarios showed insignificant differences (p=0.52 and 1.0). No children experienced seizure recurrence after 1 week in either group. The number of patients with breakthrough status epilepticus, need for mechanical ventilation, duration of hospital stay, presence of epileptiform abnormalities in repeat electroencephalogram at 12 weeks, functional outcomes at 1, 12, and 24 weeks, as well as cognition and behavioral profiles at 24 weeks, were comparable in both groups (p>0.05 for all). However, the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) causally related to study medications was significantly higher in the phenytoin group (p=0.04). CONCLUSION Levetiracetam and phenytoin are comparable in efficacy in terms of achieving clinical seizure control in children with acute encephalitis syndrome, although levetiracetam group demonstrated fewer adverse effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indar Kumar Sharawat
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Vignesh Kaniyappan Murugan
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Sanjot Bhardwaj
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Apurva Tomar
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Lokesh Tiwari
- Pediatric Intensive Care Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Puneet Dhamija
- Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Prateek Kumar Panda
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India.
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Panda PK, Elwadhi A, Gupta D, Tomar A, Sherwani P, Sharawat IK. Development and validation of a predictive model assessing the risk of seizure recurrence in children with neurocysticercosis. Epilepsy Res 2023; 197:107239. [PMID: 37862917 DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2023.107239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a significant factor contributing to the incidence of seizures in developing countries. While numerous studies have investigated the recurrence of seizures in NCC, their reliability is often limited. METHODS We assessed the socio-demographic, clinical, and neuroimaging details of 161 children with seizures caused by NCC. We monitored them for seizure recurrence over a 6-month follow-up period. We divided the children into two groups: those with seizure recurrence and those without. Subsequently, we identified predictive factors associated with seizure recurrence through univariate analysis, followed by multivariate binary logistic regression. We evaluated the prognostic model for discrimination and calibration and then internally validated it using the bootstrap method. RESULTS A total of 23 children experienced breakthrough seizures. In multivariate analysis, the presence of epileptiform abnormalities in electroencephalogram (EEG), more than 5 NCC lesions, the presence of perilesional edema greater than 2 cm in maximum dimension, and a cluster of seizures before presentation were significantly associated with seizure recurrence (p < 0.05). These factors were included in the final NEPC (Number of NCC lesions, Epileptiform EEG abnormality, Perilesional edema, and Cluster of seizures) score. The final model exhibited good discrimination (AUC = 89.1 %; 95 % CI=80.5-95.3 %, p < 0.001) and calibration (p = 0.54). A score of 4 appeared to be the optimal threshold for discriminating between individuals with and without seizure recurrence, with sensitivity and specificity values of 85 % and 87 %, respectively. Interrater reliability was very strong between two pediatric neurologists and strong between a pediatric neurologist and a pediatric neurology trainee resident (k = 0.92 and 0.86, respectively). CONCLUSION The NEPC score demonstrates good sensitivity and specificity in predicting seizure recurrence in pediatric children with NCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prateek Kumar Panda
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Aman Elwadhi
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Diksha Gupta
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Apurva Tomar
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Poonam Sherwani
- Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India
| | - Indar Kumar Sharawat
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249203, India.
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Garg D, Sharma S. Albendazole for Neurocysticercosis in Children: How Long is Long Enough? Indian Pediatr 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13312-022-2659-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Singla A, Lekhwani S, Vaswani ND, Kaushik JS, Dabla S. Fourteen Days vs 28 Days of Albendazole Therapy for Neurocysticercosis in Children: An Open Label Randomized Controlled Trial. Indian Pediatr 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13312-022-2662-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Panda PK, Ramachandran A, Sharawat IK, Sherwani P, Bhat NK. Comparison of Seizure Characteristics and Recurrence Rates in Children with Viable Parenchymal Neurocysticercosis and Tuberculoma in India. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022; 107:833-840. [PMID: 36037862 PMCID: PMC9651522 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-1298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory granulomas (neurocysticercosis [NCC] and tuberculomas) are important causes of seizures in children and adults in the developing world. Although several studies have explored seizure characteristics individually in patients with either NCC or tuberculoma, none has compared the seizure recurrence rate between them. This study included patients aged 5 to 18 years with viable parenchymal NCC or tuberculomas who had completed regular follow-up of at least 12 months at a tertiary institute in India. Their baseline seizure and electroencephalographic characteristics, antiseizure medications (ASMs), and breakthrough seizure rates at 12, 24, and 52 weeks were noted. A total of 103 and 54 patients with active NCC and tuberculomas respectively were included. The number of patients who had at least one breakthrough seizure at 12, 24, and 52 weeks in both groups was comparable (P = 0.32, 0.27, and 0.13), and the vast majority were controlled on monotherapy (98% cases in each group). The proportion of patients who required an increase in the dose or change of ASMs or polytherapy, the proportion of children who had status epilepticus at or before 12 months, abnormal electroencephalogram at 12 months, and calcified and active granuloma in neuroimaging at 12 months were also comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05 for all). The number of patients who had ASM-related adverse events and discontinued ASM due to serious adverse events was comparable between both groups, except for hepatotoxicity in the tuberculoma group. The predictors for breakthrough seizures that were found to be statistically significant in the NCC group were the presence of perilesional edema in the baseline magnetic resonance imaging (P = 0.02) and more than five active granulomas (P = 0.01); predictors in the tuberculoma group were the presence of severe perilesional edema causing midline shift in the baseline magnetic resonance imaging (P = 0.01) and more than five active granulomas (P = 0.04). The recurrence rates of breakthrough seizures over the next 12 months in newly detected cases of active NCC and tuberculomas were comparable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prateek Kumar Panda
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, India
| | - Aparna Ramachandran
- Department of Neurology, IQRAA International Hospital & Research Centre, Kozhikode, Kerala, India
| | - Indar Kumar Sharawat
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, India
| | - Poonam Sherwani
- Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, India
| | - Nowneet Kumar Bhat
- Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, India
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Sharawat IK, Panda PK, Kumar V, Sherwani P. Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Lacosamide and Oxcarbazepine for Seizure Control in Children with Newly Diagnosed Solitary Neurocysticercosis. J Trop Pediatr 2022; 68:6572713. [PMID: 35459951 DOI: 10.1093/tropej/fmac032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In newly diagnosed neurocysticercosis (NCC) with seizures, the choice of anti-seizure medication (ASM) seems to be arbitrary due to a lack of comparative studies. Although oxcarbazepine (OXC) is often considered efficacious for focal seizures in NCC, due to adverse effects, newer ASMs like levetiracetam (LCM) and lacosamide are also being explored. METHODS This study was performed by case record review of children with newly diagnosed solitary viable parenchymal NCC aged 4-18years who received lacosamide and OXC at least for 12 weeks between August 2019 and April 2021, from a prospective registry of a tertiary care teaching hospital in north India. Seizure control, electroencephalographic abnormalities, resolution of inflammatory granulomas and adverse effects were compared between two arms at 12 and 24 weeks. RESULTS Total 31 (8.3 ± 4.7 years, 19 boys) and 72 (8.6 ± 4.2 years, 43 boys) completed at least 12 weeks follow-up in LCM and OXC groups, out of which 2 and 51 completed at least 24 weeks follow-up in LCM and OXC groups, respectively. The occurrence of breakthrough seizure was comparable in both arms at 12 and 24 weeks (1/31 and 2/22 in lacosamide group vs. 2/72 and 4/51 in OXC group, p = 0.66 and 0.59, respectively). Patients receiving OXC had more frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (p = 0.0001) and four patients required discontinuation due to severe adverse events (SAEs), while none in the lacosamide group had SAEs. CONCLUSIONS Lacosamide appears to be efficacious and safe for achieving seizure freedom in patients with solitary viable parenchymal neurocysticercosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indar Kumar Sharawat
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India
| | - Prateek Kumar Panda
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India
| | - Vinod Kumar
- Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India
| | - Poonam Sherwani
- Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India
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