Table 2.

Predictors of Early Medical Intractability

Variable	Early Medical Intractability (%)	No Early Intractability (%)	P Value
Age at onset in years
Mean (SD)	5.5 (5.0)	7.4 (5.1)	0.004
Male gender	39/75 (52.0)	165/306 (53.9)	0.77
Intellectual disability at diagnosis (4 unknown)	33/72 (45.8)	101/305 (33.1)	0.043
Abnormal neurological exam	36/75 (48.0)	64/306 (20.9)	<0.001
Perinatal complications (3 unknown)	19/74 (25.7)	51/304 (16.8)	0.08
Neonatal seizures (5 unknown)	7/73 (9.5)	16/303 (5.3)	0.17
Febrile seizure (2 unknown)	13/75 (17.3)	45/304 (14.8)	0.59
Complex febrile seizure (2 unknown)	9/75 (12.0)	22/304 (7.2)	0.17
Any status epilepticus at presentation	18/75 (24.0)	38/306 (12.4)	0.011
Mode of onset*
-generalized	25 (34.7)	68 (23.4)	0.075
-focal	42 (58.3)	217 (74.8)
-unknown including spasms	6 (8.2)	21 (6.7)
Etiology
-genetic	17 (22.7)	71 (23.2)	<0.001
-structural/metabolic	35 (46.7)	71 (23.2)
-unknown	23 (30.7)	164 (53.6)
Number of generalized tonic clonic seizures prior to treatment	0.8 (1.2)	1.2 (2.3)	0.16
Mean (SD)
Number of focal seizures prior to treatment
Mean (SD)	6.8 (18.3)	4.8 (13.6)	0.30
First degree family history of epilepsy (11 unknown)	9/72 (12.5)	50/298 (16.8)	0.37
Abnormal neuroimaging	35/75 (46.7)	63/306 (20.6)	<0.001
Epileptiform discharge on initial EEG (5 unknown as no EEG done)
Any discharge	63/74 (85.1)	208/302 (68.9)	0.005
Multifocal discharge or hypsarrhythmia	25/74 (33.8)	49/302 (16.2)	0.001
Generalized discharge alone	19/74 (25.7)	61/302 (20.2)	0.30
Background slowing on initial EEG (5 unknown as no EEG done)
Generalized slowing	35/74 (47.3)	78/302 (25.8)	<0.001
Focal slowing	14/74 (18.9)	50/302 (16.6)	0.63

^*2 had both generalized and focal modes of onset