[The value of alizapride in the treatment of vomiting in infants and children].

An open, three-day trial was carried out in 49 infants and children with vomiting related to an acute gastrointestinal or ENT infection (63.3% of cases), a gastroesophageal reflux (20.4%), or an attack of malaria (14.3%). Mean age of patients was 21.9 months. Number of episodes of vomiting exceeded six per day in 89.8% of patients. Alizapride (Plitican) was given as oral drops in a dosage of 3 mg/kg/d. Five patients were prematurely withdrawn from the trial for clinical deterioration requiring discontinuation of enteral nutrition. Under treatment, vomiting resolved completely in 35 patients, i.e. 71.4% of the initial study group. Six patients exhibited incomplete improvement of vomiting and eight (including the 5 dropouts) continued to have a significant number of episodes of vomiting. Overall effectiveness evaluated on the frequency of episodes of vomiting, weight changes, and the investigator's clinical judgement was considered as excellent or good in 81.6% of cases. No significant adverse effects were recorded but the product's bitter taste was involved in the persistence of vomiting in one of the dropouts and in the development of moderate nausea in another patient who was able to continue treatment. The therapeutic value of alizapride, evaluated using an analog scale, proved significant in this indication.