Comparing Palliative Surgery and Additional Anti-Seizure Medications for Children and Young Adults With Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

What this Trial Is About

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome LGS is a rare and serious form of epilepsy that starts in infancy or early childhood. It causes frequent seizures and significant developmental challenges affecting motor skills, communication, eating, and daily functioning. Current treatments focus on reducing seizure frequency but do not cure LGS. This research aims to compare the effectiveness of additional anti-seizure medications versus palliative surgery in managing seizures and improving functional abilities in children with LGS. The study involves two parts. The first is an observational retrospective cohort and cross-sectional study conducted at a network of 18 pediatric hospitals in the United States. It will compare outcomes of children treated with either added anti-seizure drugs or palliative surgery, such as neurostimulation or corpus callosotomy, alongside existing medications. The second part will describe the use and patterns of these treatment approaches across hospitals and by patient factors including age, medical fragility, race, ethnicity, and insurance. Participants medical records will be reviewed to assess seizure-related emergency healthcare use over two years and parent-reported clinical outcomes related to function. The study will collect information on treatments received and functional impairments, aiming to inform better treatment decisions for children with LGS. The total observation period for outcomes is two years, helping to understand long-term effects of these treatment pathways.

Comparative Effectiveness of Palliative Surgery Versus Additional Anti-Seizure Medications for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome