Patients with epilepsy whose seizures do not successfully respond to antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy are considered to have drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). This condition is also referred to as intractable, medically refractory, or pharmacoresistant epilepsy. As many as 20 to 40 percent of patients with epilepsy (roughly 400,000 Americans) are likely to have refractory epilepsy. The annual cost for patients with epilepsy in the United States is estimated to be approximately 12.5 billion dollars (based on a 1995 survey); DRE contributes a substantive proportion of this cost [1,2]. People with DRE have the greatest burden of epilepsy-related disabilities, further contributing to the scope of this problem.
Because of the need to individualize therapy, no rigid set of guidelines can be applied to determine medical intractability, however, population-based studies have provided information regarding the prognosis of DRE that are helpful in making treatment decisions. Resective surgical therapy for epilepsy has the potential to eliminate seizures in many patients with localization-related DRE.
This topic discusses the evaluation and approach to the management of individuals with DRE. Other issues regarding the evaluation and treatment of individuals with seizures and epilepsy are presented separately. (See "Overview of the management of epilepsy in adults" and "Evaluation of the first seizure in adults" and "Initial treatment of epilepsy in adults" and "Surgical treatment of epilepsy in adults" and "Vagus nerve stimulation therapy for the treatment of epilepsy".)
Patients with epilepsy whose seizures do not successfully respond to antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy are considered to have drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). This condition is also referred to as intractable, medically refractory, or pharmacoresistant epilepsy. As many as 20 to 40 percent of patients with epilepsy (roughly 400,000 Americans) are likely to have refractory epilepsy. The annual cost for patients with epilepsy in the United States is estimated to be approximately 12.5 billion dollars (based on a 1995 survey); DRE contributes a substantive proportion of this cost [1,2]. People with DRE have the greatest burden of epilepsy-related disabilities, further contributing to the scope of this problem.Because of the need to individualize therapy, no rigid set of guidelines can be applied to determine medical intractability, however, population-based studies have provided information regarding the prognosis of DRE that are helpful in making treatment decisions. Resective surgical therapy for epilepsy has the potential to eliminate seizures in many patients with localization-related DRE.This topic discusses the evaluation and approach to the management of individuals with DRE. Other issues regarding the evaluation and treatment of individuals with seizures and epilepsy are presented separately. (See "Overview of the management of epilepsy in adults" and "Evaluation of the first seizure in adults" and "Initial treatment of epilepsy in adults" and "Surgical treatment of epilepsy in adults" and "Vagus nerve stimulation therapy for the treatment of epilepsy".)
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