Rufinamide as add-on therapy in children with epileptic encephalopathies other than Lennox–Gastaut syndrome: A study of 34 patients

Objective Here, we present a multicenter series of patients with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) and related electroclinical patterns (REP) other than Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS) who were treated with rufinamide as add-on therapy. Methods Medical records of 34 patients with DEE and REP other than LGS treated with add-on rufinamide seen at four pediatric neurology centers in Argentina between May 2014 and March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Results We evaluated 34 patients (18 males, 16 females), aged between 2 and 15 years with a mean and median age of 6 and 8 years, respectively. The children had different types of childhood-onset refractory DEE and REP other than LGS and were treated with rufinamide for a mean period of 20 months (range, 12–60 months). Twenty-two of 34 patients (64.5%) who received rufinamide as add-on therapy had a greater than 50% decrease in seizures, and two patients (5.8%) became seizure-free. Four patients (11.7%) had a 25–50% seizure reduction, while seizure frequency remained unchanged in four others (11.7%) and increased in two patients (5.8%). The final mean dosage of rufinamide was 31.5 ± 15.5 mg/kg per day (range, 19–75.4 mg/kg) if combined with valproic acid and of 35.4 ± 11.5 mg/kg per day (range, 8–60.5 mg/kg) without valproic acid. Adverse effects were recorded in nine patients (26.4%). A seizure increase was reported in two of 24 patients (7.3%). Conclusion Rufinamide may be used as a treatment option in DEE and REP other than LGS.