• Muhammad U Farooq, Bharath Naravetla, Arshad Majid, Rishi Gupta, Joseph J Pysh, and Mounzer Y Kassab.
• Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology, Michigan State University, 138 Service Road, A-217 Clinical Center, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
• Neurocrit Care. 2007 Jan 1;7(1):36-9.

IntroductionStatus epilepticus (SE) is a medical emergency requiring prompt treatment to try to limit mortality and improve outcome. So far, newer antiepileptic drugs (AED) have not assumed a noticeable role in the treatment of SE. This may be in part due to the lack of IV forms for the newer AEDs. The IV form of Levetiracetam (IV-LEV) has recently become available and has a potential role in the treatment of SE.Methods And ResultsWe report two cases of non-convulsive SE that responded favorably to IV-LEV. The first patient is an 83-year-old male with a history of complex partial seizure disorder who presented with impaired consciousness. The second patient is an 82-year-old male with history of old left middle cerebral artery ischemic infarction, who presented with confusion. Both patients were found to have a non-convulsive status epilepticus on electroencephalography (EEG) and treated with IV-LEV. In both cases, electrographic SE stopped with marked clinical improvement. Both patients tolerated the medication well and no significant side effects occurred.ConclusionIV-LEV may have a potential role in the treatment of non-convulsive status epileptics.

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