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Raj D Sheth, MD; Jack E. Riggs, MD
Department of Neurology West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506-9180

Arch Neurol. 1996;53(2):122.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Obstetricians have traditionally used magnesium sulfate in the treatment of eclamptic seizures.¹ Neurologists, on the other hand, have argued that "magnesium sulfate should not be used as an anticonvulsant therapy for either acute seizure control or seizure prophylaxis" in the patient with eclampsia.² Indeed, some have gone so far as to suggest that "magnesium sulfate should be relegated to the laboratory, a clinical trial, or history."³ This unyielding stance by neurologists is primarily based on the presumption that magnesium has poor anticonvulsant properties.² However, two recent studies^4,5 conclusively demonstrated the superiority of magnesium over phenytoin or diazepam in preventing seizure recurrence in patients with eclampsia.

Seizures in patients with eclampsia are classified as secondary, as opposed to primary. This distinction is important since treatment of the condition underlying secondary seizures will have an "anticonvulsant" effect. For example, correction of hyponatremia lessens seizure recurrence in severe . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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