The ketogenic diet in drug-resistant epilepsies

The ketogenic diet (KD) is an established treatment that has been used in the management of drug-resistant epilepsies for a number of years. Research highlights that the dietary treatment has been effective for children with drug-resistant epilepsy; also, more recent studies have shown an anticonvulsant response when treating children with refractory status epilepticus. Within this paper, a number of aspects of the ketogenic diet have been reviewed, such as content and timing. This includes what patient cohorts should be considered for the ketogenic diet, how the assessment process is conducted and when is best for the diet to be considered. Further clinical guidance is discussed, such as side effects of the diet and ongoing care and monitoring, including the role of the nurse.