ArticleCNS drugs2013
Levetiracetam compared with valproic acid for the prevention of postoperative seizures after supratentorial tumor surgery: a retrospective chart review.
Article in CNS drugs, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guidelines for Seizure Prophylaxis in Patients Undergoing Supratentorial Neurosurgery: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the Neurocritical Care Society.Neurocritical care · 2026Guideline
- Efficacy and safety of levetiracetam in preventing postoperative seizures in adult patients with brain tumors: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Levetiracetam for Seizure Prophylaxis in Neurocritical Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Neurocritical care · 2022Pooled it
- SNO and EANO practice guideline update: Anticonvulsant prophylaxis in patients with newly diagnosed brain tumors.Neuro-oncology · 2021Guideline
- Levetiracetam for seizure prevention in brain tumor patients: a systematic review.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2016Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of prophylactic levetiracetam in supratentorial brain tumour surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2016Pooled it
- Levetiracetam as a sensitizer of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma: An open-label phase 2 study.Cancer medicine · 2022Trial
- Analysis of perioperative period coagulation function affected by anti-seizure medications in epilepsy surgery.BMC anesthesiology · 2025Article
- An integrated risk model stratifying seizure risk following brain tumor resection among seizure-naive patients without antiepileptic prophylaxis.Neurosurgical focus · 2022Article
- Awake craniotomies for epileptic gliomas: intraoperative and postoperative seizure control and prognostic factors.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2019Article
- Brain Tumor-Related Epilepsy: a Current Review of the Etiologic Basis and Diagnostic and Treatment Approaches.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2017Review
- Haematological toxicity of Valproic acid compared to Levetiracetam in patients with glioblastoma multiforme undergoing concomitant radio-chemotherapy: a retrospective cohort study.Journal of neurology · 2015Article
- Gliomas and the vascular fragility of the blood brain barrier.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2014Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAntiepileptic drugs are commonly given for perioperative prophylaxis after brain tumor surgery, and there has been growing interest in levetiracetam, a second-generation antiepileptic drug. This retrospective study compared the seizure outcomes, side effects and durability of levetiracetam with valproic acid after a craniotomy for supratentorial brain tumors.
methodsBetween 2009 and 2012, 282 consecutive patients with a supratentorial brain tumor underwent a craniotomy at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Of these patients, 51 (18.1%) and 231 (81.9%) were pre-operatively administered levetiracetam and valproic acid, respectively. The postoperative seizure outcomes (within 1 month after surgery) and the long-term side effects of both drugs were evaluated.
resultsOf the 51 patients in the levetiracetam group, 4 (7.8%) experienced postoperative seizures after brain tumor surgery, and 15 (6.5%) of the 231 patients in the valproic acid group experienced postoperative seizures (p = 0.728). The long-term complication rate of the valproic acid group (26.8%; 62/231) was significantly higher than that of the levetiracetam group (9.8%; 5/51) [p = 0.010]. In the valproic acid group, 10 hepatotoxicities, 20 hyperammonemias and 10 hematologic abnormalities (6 thrombocytopenias, 3 pancytopenias, and 1 leucopenia) occurred. Moreover, 89 patients (38.5%) in the valproic acid group changed or added other anticonvulsants because of side effects or uncontrolled seizures, whereas only 9 patients (17.6%) in the levetiracetam group changed or added other anticonvulsants (p = 0.005).
conclusionsThe postoperative seizure control rates of levetiracetam and valproic acid were not statistically significantly different; however, levetiracetam may be superior to valproic acid in terms of its safety and durability after supratentorial tumor surgery.
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