Acta neurologica Scandinavica
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Hospital admission in otherwise healthy patients following a first unprovoked seizure is controversial. We aimed to evaluate the influence of admission in a neurology department on the identification of risk factors for seizure recurrence in patients with a first unprovoked seizure. ⋯ Risk factors for seizure recurrence were detected during admission in nearly a quarter of the patients who presented to the emergency room with a first unprovoked seizure. Because the main advantage of admission is the EEG recording, we suggest that an early EEG should be obtained in these patients either during admission or through a special accelerated outpatient arrangement.
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Acta Neurol. Scand. · Jun 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialFeasibility of endovascular and surface cooling strategies in acute stroke.
Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is a promising treatment of stroke, but limited data are available regarding the safety and effectiveness of cooling methodology. We investigated the safety of TH and compared the cooling capacity of two widely used cooling strategies - endovascular and surface cooling. ⋯ Therapeutic hypothermia with general anaesthesia is feasible in stroke patients. We noticed increased rates of pneumonia, while the length of hospital stay remained comparable. The endovascular cooling strategy provides a faster induction period than surface cooling.
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Acta Neurol. Scand. · Jun 2013
Comparative StudyRetigabine as add-on treatment of refractory epilepsy--a cost-utility study in a Swedish setting.
To calculate comparative incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (cost per quality-adjusted life year, QALY) and net marginal benefits for retigabine as add-on treatment for patients with uncontrolled focal seizures as compared to add-on lacosamide treatment and no add-on treatment, respectively. ⋯ The estimated cost per additional QALY, for the retigabine vs no add-on treatment comparison, is well within the range of newly published estimates of willingness to pay for an additional QALY. Thus, add-on retigabine treatment for people with focal-onset epilepsy with no/limited response to standard antiepileptic treatment appears to be cost-effective.
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Acta Neurol. Scand. · Mar 2013
Incidence of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries after reduction in alcohol prices.
Alcohol may be involved in 40-50% of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In Finland, the cutting of alcohol taxes by one third in 2004 resulted in a marked increase in per capita alcohol consumption. We investigated the consequences of increased alcohol consumption on the incidence of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury among a defined population. ⋯ The reduction in alcohol prices and the concomitant increase in alcohol consumption did not increase the incidence of alcohol-related moderate-to-severe TBI.
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Acta Neurol. Scand. · Mar 2013
Clinical experience with using lacosamide for the treatment of epilepsy in a tertiary centre.
Lacosamide is approved for the adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults. Phase II/III clinical trials suggest that it is a safe, effective and well-tolerated medication. However, there is little post-marketing information available about this medication. ⋯ This post-marketing analysis suggests that lacosamide in clinical practice at least mirrors, and possibly outperforms the results seen in previous phase II/III trials.