Early experience with sodium valproate.

Early experience with sodium valproate in the treatment of 20 patients with uncontrolled chronic epilepsy is described. It proved to be rapidly and markedly efficient in most of those patients with generalised types of epilepsy and spike-wave abnormalities in the electroencephalogram. In the treatment of focal epilepsies it was relatively unsuccessful. Although it is a little early to assess its full potential, this preparation is the most interesting and useful anticonvulsant to appear in recent times, and may become the drug of choice in the control of petit mal types of generalised epilepsy.