An open-label, prospective study of levetiracetam in children and adolescentes with Tourette syndrome

Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of levetiracetam (LEV) for the treatment of tics in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) by means of a prospective, open-label, 12-week study. Material and methods: Twenty-nine patients with TS who received LEV to control their tics were admitted to the study. The authors recorded the following variables: initial status (Yale Global Tic Severity Scale YGTSS - and the scale of Modified Clinical Global impression -MCGI), the clinical status at 3 months using the same scales, and clinical/medical impression of improvement. Results: The mean age of the patients studied was 12 years; 25 males (86%) and 4 females (14%). Participants received 800-2000 mg/day of LEV. Of the 29 patients, 21 children (72%) improved according to YGTSS and MCGI scores. Mean YGTSS Total Tic Score at baseline and after treatment with LEV were 67 and 44, respectively. The statistical analysis confirmed a significant improvement with a p-value of <0.001 on the YGTSS and MCGI. In 3 cases, treatment was suspended due to adverse effects. Conclusions: Treatment with LEV can constitute a treatment option for tics in patients with TS. Double-blind trials of longer duration are needed in larger samples in order to establish both the benefit, as well as what patients are eligible for treatment. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Paediatric Neurology Society.