PURPOSE: The aim of the current study was to systematically review the literature to compare the efficacy of levetiracetam (LEV) with that of carbamazepine (CBZ) to control seizures and reduce the burden of interictal epileptiform discharges in children with rolandic epilepsy (RE) and also to compare their tolerability.
METHODS: Researchers searched the electronic database PubMed on January 9, 2019 for original articles that included the following English-language search terms in the title: “Rolandic epilepsy” OR “benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes” since 2000. They concentrated the review on three main areas: 1. Neuropsychological impairments in children with RE; 2. Influence of epileptic activity on cognitive performance in RE; 3. Effects of antiepileptic drug (AED) therapies in RE.
RESULTS: The primary search yielded 308 papers. The researchers reviewed the results and removed duplicate articles and all nonoriginal, non-English papers. Finally, after carefully reviewing the full texts, we included 44 original articles to achieve the aims of this review.
CONCLUSION: Physicians taking care of children with rolandic epilepsy (RE) should be aware of the risks for cognitive dysfunctions in these patients and screen their patients for any subtle dysfunction that may affect their academic performance and achievement. If and when the physician decides to prescribe an antiepileptic drug for their patients with RE, levetiracetam is probably a better option compared with carbamazepine to prescribe for these children.