[Prevention of late post-traumatic epilepsy by phenytoin in severe brain injuries. 2 years' follow-up].

The high incidence rate and the invalidating nature of post-traumatic epilepsy after severe brain injury have encouraged the authors to review the prophylactic treatment of this type of epilepsy. Thirty-four out of 86 randomised patients with brain injuries admitted into a neurotraumatology intensive care unit were treated prophylactically, immediately after the injury, with an intravenous hydantoin injection in a dose sufficient to provide stable and effective blood levels. This was followed by dose-adjusted oral administration maintained for a minimum period of 3 months. After a 2 years' follow-up, there was a significant difference between treated and untreated patients, since only 6 per cent of the patients treated suffered from post-traumatic epilepsy, as against 42 percent in the untreated group.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes