Early and late posttraumatic seizures: age, computerized tomography features, and functional outcome

Traumatic brain injury devastates our young adults, leaving on its trail mortalities and morbidities. One of the morbidities, seizure, leaves the patients battling in three fronts: the seizure itself, the antiepileptic drugs, and the societies the patients belong. Patients managed for early and late posttraumatic seizures in our center were compared in age, computerized tomography (CT) features and functional outcome. The study was done over a six year period. Objective: To compare patients with early and late posttraumatic seizures in age, computerized tomography scan features and functional outcome at three months post injury. Methods: It was a prospective, comparative and observational study of patients managed in our center for early and late posttraumatic seizures from traumatic brain injuries from August 2010 to July 2016. Patients were resuscitated in accident and emergency using Advanced Trauma Life Support protocols. Brain computerized tomography (CT) scan and other relevant investigations were done. Patients who had seizures were given Phenytoin for one week. After a week we used Carbamazepine. The functional outcome was assessed at three months post-injury. Data were collected using structured proforma and analyzed with Environmental Performance Index info 7 software. Results: There were 63 patients, 46 early and 17 late posttraumatic seizures. There were 47 males. The mean age was 27.5 years. There were significant difference between early and late posttraumatic seizures in terms of age (P = 0.0289) and CT findings (P = 0.0221). Conclusion: There was significant difference between early and late posttraumatic seizures in age and CT features.