Objective: due to the development of new antiepileptic drugs, epilepsy treatment has presented substantial progress in the last decade. In spite of presenting more adequate profile, these drugs have not shown better efficiency in seizure control than the traditional drugs. The objective of this revision is to provide up-to-date data for the treatment of epilepsy in childhood and the role of the new antiepileptic drugs. Sources: bibliographic review has been performed at Medline for the last 10 years, and the most pertinent papers and abstracts presented in International Epilepsy Meetings were selected. Summary of the findings: the new antiepileptic drugs could be indicated in the treatment of some specific epileptic syndromes. Serious side effects have been described with the use of these drugs. Conclusions: the traditional drugs must be considered as the primary choice in the treatment of ordinary epilepsy.
childhood epilepsy; antiepileptic drugs; prognosis
