ArticleJournal of feline medicine and surgery2017
Levetiracetam in the management of feline audiogenic reflex seizures: a randomised, controlled, open-label study.
Article in Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review of antiepileptic drugs' safety and effectiveness in feline epilepsy.BMC veterinary research · 2018Pooled it
- Phenotypic characterization of presumptive propriospinal myoclonus in young dogs (2013-2025).Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2026Article
- Spontaneous late-onset myoclonic epilepsy in cats: 15 cases (2015-2023).Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2025Article
- Prevalence and clinical characteristics of phenobarbitone-associated adverse effects in epileptic cats.Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2021Article
- Serum levetiracetam concentrations after transdermal levetiracetam administration, 3 times daily, to healthy cats.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2019Article
- Recurrent seizures in cats: Diagnostic approach - when is it idiopathic epilepsy?Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2018Article
- Recurrent seizures in cats: Treatment - which antiepileptic drugs are recommended?Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2018Review
- Serum levetiracetam concentrations and adverse events after multiple dose extended release levetiracetam administration to healthy cats.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2018Article
- Pharmacokinetics of Single Oral Dose Extended-Release Levetiracetam in Healthy Cats.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2018Article
- Absence Seizures as a Feature of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy in Rhodesian Ridgeback Dogs.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2018Article
- Survival in 76 cats with epilepsy of unknown cause: a retrospective study.The Veterinary record · 2017Article
- Classification of Involuntary Movements in Dogs: Myoclonus and Myotonia.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2017Review
- Characteristics and clinical course of myoclonus in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.Journal of veterinary internal medicineArticle
- A retrospective study of the efficacy of zonisamide in controlling seizures in 57 cats.Journal of veterinary internal medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Objectives Currently, there are no published randomised, controlled veterinary trials evaluating the efficacy of antiepileptic medication in the treatment of myoclonic seizures. Myoclonic seizures are a hallmark of feline audiogenic seizures (FARS). Methods This prospective, randomised, open-label trial compared the efficacy and tolerability of levetiracetam (20-25 mg/kg q8h) with phenobarbital (3-5 mg/kg q12h) in cats with suspected FARS that experienced myoclonic seizures. Cats were included that had ⩾12 myoclonic seizure days during a prospective 12 week baseline period. This was followed by a 4 week titration phase (until a therapeutic serum concentration of phenobarbital was achieved) and a 12 week treatment phase. Results Fifty-seven cats completed the study: 28 in the levetiracetam group and 29 in the phenobarbital group. A reduction of ⩾50% in the number of myoclonic seizure days was seen in 100% of patients in the levetiracetam group and in 3% of patients in the phenobarbital group ( P <0.001) during the treatment period. Levetiracetam-treated cats had higher freedom from myoclonic seizures (50.0% vs 0%; P <0.001) during the treatment period. The most common adverse events were lethargy, inappetence and ataxia, with no difference in incidence between levetiracetam and phenobarbital. Adverse events were mild and transient with levetiracetam but persistent with phenobarbital. Conclusions and relevance These results suggest that levetiracetam is an effective and well tolerated treatment for cats with myoclonic seizures and is more effective than phenobarbital. Whether it will prevent the occurrence of generalised tonic-clonic seizures and other forebrain signs if used early in the course of FARS is not yet clear.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.