Epileptik Nöbetler ve Karbamazepinin Beyin Sapı İşitsel Uyarılmış Potansiyelleri Üzerine Etkisi

Objectives: In the prolonged use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), the functions of central nervous system have been influenced without clinical neurotoxicity indications. In this study, the effects of epilepsy and carbamazepine (CBZ) use in epilepsy on the brainstem auditory pathway functions were investigated by brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) which is a useful and noninvasive test. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in 19 newly diagnosed epileptic patients and 26 epileptic patients receiving CBZ more than 6 months (mean age: 27.45±12.23 years). Thirty-two similarly age-matched healthy subjects were taken as the control group. I., III. and V. wave peak latencies, and I-III, I-V, and III-V inter-peak latencies (IPLs) were determined in all subjects. The relationship of BAEP with blood drug level and therapy period was investigated. Results: Compared to the control group, wave I and III mean latencies were found significantly prolonged in CBZ using group (p 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between serum CBZ level and I-V IPLs (r value: 0.497, p < 0.05). In the drug-naA¯ve epileptic group, wave III and V mean latencies were found increased but did not reach a statistical significance. Conclusion: The findings show that CBZ can suppress brainstem auditory pathway at different levels, and may also influence the time of central conduction depending on serum drug levels. Additionally, it was found that mild involvement in brainstem functions might be observed in drug-naA¯ve epileptic patients. ©2005, Firat Universitesi, Tip Fakultesi