Impact of epilepsy after severe brain injury on safe resumption of driving: two-year follow-up.

Abstract

Safe resumption of driving after a severe acquired brain injury (sABI) is a strongly felt need because driving is related to recovery of independence and social-occupational re-integration. The aim of this prospective observational cohort study was to determine whether epilepsy secondary to sABI is a significant factor for being declared fit to drive by the relevant government authorities in Italy. In the period 2006-2015 we recruited 187 patients with sABI, 30 of whom (16.4%) developed secondary epilepsy. The interval between the acute event and the first seizure varied widely (6-96 months), confirming the need for prolonged follow-up. With regard to the aetiology, traumatic brain injury (TBI) was associated with the highest risk of epilepsy: 66.7% of the 30 patients with epilepsy had TBI, as opposed to cerebrovascular disease or anoxic brain damage (33.3%). The percentage of patients who resumed driving was about the same in the epilepsy (80%) and non-epilepsy (81%) groups.