Use of valproic acid in treatment of infantile spasms.

Nineteen babies with infantile spasms were treated with valproic acid over a two-year period. Eleven of the patients were also treated with purified corticotropin, but in no cases were the two drugs used simultaneously. Approximately 40% of the patients had good control of their infantile spasms with valproic acid. Side effects from valproic acid in these babies were not frequent and were, for the most part, minor. Though the percentage of infants with infantile spasms responding to valproic acid may be less than the percentage responding to corticotropin, the incidence and severity of side effects are less with valproic acid.