Decell M K, Gordon J B, Silver K, Meagher-Villemure K
Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children's Hospital, Quebec, Canada.
Intensive Care Med. 1994 May;20(5):375-8. doi: 10.1007/BF01720913.
Fulminant hepatic failure is a rare complication of status epilepticus. Although many of the anticonvulsants used to treat the seizures are known to have hepatotoxic properties, the exact mechanism leading to massive destruction of the liver following a prolonged seizure remains unclear. Three children are presented who developed fulminant hepatic failure following status epilepticus and subsequently died of multiple organ failure. The literature is reviewed with particular attention to the possible interaction between the anticonvulsants and the metabolic consequences of status epilepticus. We postulate that it is a combination of hypoxia and ischemia that occurs during a prolonged seizure with altered metabolism of free radicals secondary to the anticonvulsant drugs which leads to widespread hepatocyte membrane damage.
