The report states that the recommendations are based on a review of the literature as well as actual clinical practice. The recommendations are divided into sections that cover epilepsy in children and adolescents, adults, women and elderly persons. The following report summarizes the recommendations. The recommendations state that a child with an initial single seizure should undergo evaluation to determine whether the seizure represents an epilepsy syndrome. A single seizure does not, however, signify the need for treatment.
More intensive evaluation is required in children who have recurrent, unprovoked seizures.
Among the studies that should be included in the evaluation are an electroencephalogram and imaging studies of the brain. If MRI is not available, computed tomography would be acceptable. General treatment principles include initiation of therapy with one drug and the use of patient-specific factors to guide therapy. The expected duration of therapy depends on the epilepsy syndrome, the child's response to therapy and the child's age at the time of onset of seizures. In the section on epilepsy in children and adolescents, the recommendations describe the management approach for different types of seizure disorders in this group.