[The Andalusia Epilepsy Society's Guide to Epilepsy Therapy 2005: IV. General principles of antiepileptic polytherapy and therapeutic strategies in refractory epilepsy]

The objective of this work was to produce a scientific evidence-based guide to clinical practice dealing with the basic questions concerning the treatment of epilepsy.A committee of 11 experts belonging to the Andalusia Epilepsy Society, made up of six neurologists, three neuropaediatricians, one neurosurgeon and a pharmacologist, all of whom were deeply involved and experienced in epilepsy, conducted a thorough review of the literature in search of all the evidence available on the proposed subject matter. The following databases were used: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and the databases of several clinical practice guidelines (National Guideline Clearinghouse, National Institute of Clinical Excellence and the American Academy of Neurology's Clinical Guidelines). The Guide was set out in seven sections and was published in four parts. From a total number of 187 relevant documents, the committee found 63 examples of scientific evidence and 91 therapeutic recommendations. These were tabulated and classified according to the European Federation of Neurological Societies' criteria for producing Clinical Practice Guidelines.The results of this survey provide scientific evidence-based clinical guidelines that are useful, simple and applicable at different levels of health care.