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. 2018 May 21;3(2):175-192.
doi: 10.1002/epi4.12225. eCollection 2018 Jun.

Optimal clinical management of children receiving dietary therapies for epilepsy: Updated recommendations of the International Ketogenic Diet Study Group

Eric H Kossoff  1 , Beth A Zupec-Kania  2 , Stéphane Auvin  3 , Karen R Ballaban-Gil  4 , A G Christina Bergqvist  5 , Robyn Blackford  6 , Jeffrey R Buchhalter  7 , Roberto H Caraballo  8 , J Helen Cross  9 , Maria G Dahlin  10 , Elizabeth J Donner  11 , Orkide Guzel  12 , Rana S Jehle  13 , Joerg Klepper  14 , Hoon-Chul Kang  15 , Danielle A Lambrechts  16 , Y M Christiana Liu  17 , Janak K Nathan  18 , Douglas R Nordli Jr  19 , Heidi H Pfeifer  20 , Jong M Rho  21 , Ingrid E Scheffer  22 , Suvasini Sharma  23 , Carl E Stafstrom  24 , Elizabeth A Thiele  20 , Zahava Turner  25 , Maria M Vaccarezza  26 , Elles J T M van der Louw  27 , Pierangelo Veggiotti  28 , James W Wheless  29 , Elaine C Wirrell  30 ; Charlie Foundation; Matthew's Friends; Practice Committee of the Child Neurology Society
Affiliations

Optimal clinical management of children receiving dietary therapies for epilepsy: Updated recommendations of the International Ketogenic Diet Study Group

Eric H Kossoff et al. Epilepsia Open. .

Abstract

Ketogenic dietary therapies (KDTs) are established, effective nonpharmacologic treatments for intractable childhood epilepsy. For many years KDTs were implemented differently throughout the world due to lack of consistent protocols. In 2009, an expert consensus guideline for the management of children on KDT was published, focusing on topics of patient selection, pre-KDT counseling and evaluation, diet choice and attributes, implementation, supplementation, follow-up, side events, and KDT discontinuation. It has been helpful in outlining a state-of-the-art protocol, standardizing KDT for multicenter clinical trials, and identifying areas of controversy and uncertainty for future research. Now one decade later, the organizers and authors of this guideline present a revised version with additional authors, in order to include recent research, especially regarding other dietary treatments, clarifying indications for use, side effects during initiation and ongoing use, value of supplements, and methods of KDT discontinuation. In addition, authors completed a survey of their institution's practices, which was compared to responses from the original consensus survey, to show trends in management over the last 10 years.

Keywords: Children; Diet; Epilepsy; Guideline; Ketogenic.

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