PRAFUS (retrospective)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Predicting recurrence after first unprovoked seizure (retrospective)

• IRAS ID

  278421

• Contact name

  Tony Marson

• Contact email

  marjon01@liverpool.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  The Universtiy of Liverpool

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 11 months, 29 days

• Research summary

  10% of the population will have at least one seizure in their lifetime, and around half will have a further seizure and therefore a subsequent diagnosis of epilepsy. We are currently unable to reliably predict those individuals that will have a recurrence after a first unprovoked seizure. This uncertainty is associated with serious physical, psychological and social consequences for patients and their families, with impacts on for example driving and future employment prospects.

  If we were able to accurately identify those at a highest risk of further seizures, patients and clinicians would be better informed when deciding whether to start antiepileptic drug treatments. We would also be able to identify people at highest risk of further seizures that may be willing to participate in clinical trials of new treatments that might reduce future seizure risk and also improve the natural history of epilepsy.
  
  We will retrospectively identify patients who have been seen in the first seizure clinic and analyse information from their MRI and EEG tests that have been performed as part of routine clinical care. The information from these tests together with basic clinical information recorded in the electronic patient records will be combined with the goal of accurately predicting those that went on to have further seizures.

  We anticipate the results from this study will serve as a proof of concept that will inform the further development of robust predictive tools that could be applied in the care and assessment of patients presenting with their first unprovoked seizure.

• REC name

  North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  20/NW/0100

• Date of REC Opinion

  27 Mar 2020

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion