Current Overview of CDKL-5 Deficiency Disorder Treatment.

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a complex of clinical symptoms resulting from the presence of non-functional or absent CDKL5 protein, a serine-threonine kinase involved in neural maturation and synaptogenesis [...].

Lacosamide in children with refractory status epilepticus. A multicenter Italian experience.

OBJECTIVE: Status epilepticus (SE) is considered a life-threatening medical emergency. First-line treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) consists of intravenous benzodiazepines followed by phenytoin. SE is considered refractory (RSE) when unresponsive to standard doses of the first two AEDs. Scarce evidence is available to support specific guidelines for the management of RSE in either adults or children. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of intravenous (iv) lacosamide (LCM) in children affected by RSE. METHOD: Children with RSE who were treated with ivLCM were included in the study. Efficacy was defined as the cessation of seizures after administration of ivLCM, with no need for any further antiepileptic drug. All patients had been unsuccessfully treated following standard protocols before ivLCM was administered. RESULTS: Eleven children entered the study (mean age: 9.4 years). Etiology was symptomatic in 7 patients (63%). RSE was convulsive (focal or generalized) in 6 patients and nonconvulsive in 5. The mean initial bolus dose of LCM was 8.6 mg/kg. The drug, which was used as a fourth or later option, was effective in stopping RSE in 45% of patients, with seizures terminating within 12 h in three children. No serious adverse events attributable to LCM were reported. CONCLUSIONS: LCM might be an effective and well-tolerated AED in children with RSE.

Partial monosomy Xq(Xq23 --> qter) and trisomy 4p(4p15.33 --> pter) in a woman with intractable focal epilepsy, borderline intellectual functioning, and dysmorphic features.

Studies of epilepsy associated with chromosomal abnormalities may provide information about clinical and EEG phenotypes and possibly to identify new epilepsy genes. We describe a female patient with intractable focal epilepsy, borderline intellectual functioning, and facial dysmorphisms, in whom genetic study (i.e., karyotype and array-CGH analysis) revealed a distal trisomy 4p and distal monosomy Xq. Although any genetic hypothesis remains speculative, several genes are located in the 4p chromosome segment involved in the rearrangement, some of which may be related to epilepsy.