Hormonal treatment in West syndrome

West syndrome is one of the most well-known epileptic encephalopathies, a catastrophic epilepsy syndrome with onset in the first year of life. Prognosis of this condition depends on the etiology and adequate treatment. The authors review the hormonal treatment of West syndrome. Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) is used in USA and its synthetic analogue tetracosactide is used in Europe. Both of the drugs are not registered in the Russian Federation. The data on the efficacy of corticosteroids, including prednisolone, are contradictory. Recent results have demonstrated the high efficacy of prednisolone in the treatment of West syndrome. The authors discuss different aspects of hormonal treatment of West syndrome: possible mechanisms, choice of medication, hormone doses, its duration, efficacy ant tolerability.