1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-11-96-b 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-11-12-13 Seizure Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Electroconvulsive Therapy for Intractable Seizures http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 12 1997 01 05 2016 11 12 96 96 Copyright: © 1997 The Author(s) 1997 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Electroconvulsive therapy for treatment of intractable seizures. Initial findings in two children

Two children aged 13 and 10 years with intractable epilepsy were treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for seizure control at the Children’s Hospital, Charleston, SC.

 Intractable Epilepsy Electroconvulsive Therapy Spontaneous Seizures

Two children aged 13 and 10 years with intractable epilepsy were treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for seizure control at the Children’s Hospital, Charleston, SC. A change in pattern but incomplete control of spontaneous seizures followed alternate-day ECT, and a series of 3 ECT seizures during a single session of anesthesia stopped spontaneous seizures and reduced the frequency of tonic seizures. ECT raised the ECT seizure threshold, was effective in ending nonconvulsive status, but benefits were transient and the value questionable. [1]

COMMENT. Repeated electroshock seizures in laboratory animals results in an increase in the electroshock threshold and the necessity for a stronger current to induce a seizure. The rather barbaric nature of ECT and fear of causing further brain damage have probably deterred pediatric neurologists from using this method of treatment in children with refractory epilepsy, but the American Psychiatric Association condones its use in adults and psychiatrists have reported its efficacy since the 1940s. I am in agreement with the present authors who question whether ECT offers a reasonable option for treating intractable epilepsy in children, and other forms of medical or surgical therapy would seem preferable.

Griesemer DA Kellner CH Beale MD Smith GM Electroconvulsive therapy for treatment of intractable seizures. Initial findings in two children Neurology 1997 Nov 49 5 1389 1392 10.1212/WNL.49.5.1389 9371927