Introduction: The Challenge of Post-Stroke Epilepsy
Post-stroke epilepsy (PSE) is one of the most common causes of acquired epilepsy in adults, significantly complicating the recovery process for survivors of both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Despite the high incidence of seizures following cerebrovascular events, current medical practice remains reactive rather than proactive. Physicians typically wait for the occurrence of unprovoked seizures before initiating antiseizure medications (ASMs). The concept of antiepileptogenesis—intervening during the latent period to prevent the development of epilepsy—remains a ‘holy grail’ in clinical neurology. Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL), a voltage-gated sodium channel blocker that preferentially targets the inactivated state of the channel, has demonstrated potential antiepileptogenic properties in preclinical models, prompting the investigation of its efficacy in a clinical setting.
