Effect of Sodium Valproate on Cardiac Function in Epileptic Children by Tissue Doppler Echocardiography

The antiepileptic Valproic acid (VPA) changes the oxidative/ anti-oxidative balance that results in oxidative stress and maybe an increased risk of cardiac dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of VPA on ventricular function in epileptic children. We designed a study to evaluate ventricular function in epileptic children who had received VPA for at least one year. All subjects were evaluated using standard echocardiography, pulsed wave Doppler (PWD), and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). This study consisted of 60 patients with epilepsy (mean age 10.30±3.21 years) and 60 healthy subjects in the control group (mean age 10.28±3.18 years). The duration of antiepilepsy medication ranged from 1.4 to 10 years, and the dose of VPA was 5-30 mg/kg. The ejection fraction and fractional shortening (P=0.841 and 0.064, respectively) were not significantly different between the two groups. The present study reports subclinical right and left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction along with longitudinal ventricular motion disorder. It is recommended the evaluation of subclinical cardiac dysfunction in children treated by VPA.