A Comparative Assessment the Efficacy of Intravenous Infusion of Sodium Valproate and Phenytion in the Treatment of Status Epilepticus

BACKGROUND: Status epilepticus (SE) is a type of persistent lasting seizure with high mortality and morbidity. Numerous medications are suggested for the treatment of SE, two of which are sodium valproate and phenytoin. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comparison between the efficiencies of intravenous sodium valproate and phenytoin in the treatment of this type of epilepsy. METHODS: This is a clinical trial study conducted on SE-suffering patients admitted to the emergency departments of Al-Zahra and Ayatollah Kashani Medical Centers of Isfahan in 2009 and 2010. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups and taken under treatment, separately by intravenous infusion sodium valproate and phenytoin. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed between the two groups (at P = 0.06). In terms of incidence of the clinical complications, the incidence of clinical complications in the two groups was significantly different (at P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings the efficiency of sodium valproate is larger than that of the phenytoin, and thus, the treatment by sodium valproate is preferred over the treatment by phenytoin.