Abstract: AIM: To compare the early response to the new and traditional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in the treatment of partial epilepsy. METHODS: Patients from neurology Department of Huzhou Central Hospital between January 2013 and June 2018 were included; outcomes included time to first seizure, time to treatment failure and 6-month, 1- and 2-year seizure-free rates were compared. RESULTS: A total of 250 patients with partial epilepsy were divided into carbamazepine (CBZ) group (n=62), levetiracetam (LEV) group (n=67), oxcarbazepine (OXC) group (n=63), and lamotrigine (LTG) group (n=58). In terms of time to first seizure after monotherapy, CBZ and OXC were equivalent (P=0.635), while CBZ was superior to LTG (P<0.001) and LEV (P=0.005); regarding time to treatment failure, CBZ and LTG had the same response (P=0.721), while CBZ was superior to OXC and LEV (P=0.008 and P=0.018, respectively). For the "6-month seizure-free" rate, differences were not statistically significant. For the "1- and 2-year seizure-free" rates, CBZ > LTG > OXC > LEV, and CBZ was superior to OXC and LEV (all P<0.05), but not LTG (P>0.05). A total of 25 patients had adverse reactions; with CBZ (19.3%) more often than LTG (8.6%), OXC (7.9%), or LEV (4.5%). CONCLUSION: Treatment response to CBZ is superior compared to that of OXC and LEV, especially in the early stages of treatment, and equivalent to that of LTG, but the incidence of side effects is higher as well.

Key words: partial epilepsy, new antiepileptic drugs, traditional antiepileptic drugs, effect