GAS CHROMATOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENT OF PLASMA LEVELS OF SODIUM VALPROATE: TENTATIVE THERAPEUTIC RANGE OF A NEW ANTICONVULSANT IN THE TREATMENT OF REFRACTORY EPILEPTICS

Abstract

1. A precise and rapid gas chromatographic method for the measurement of plasma sodium valproate concentrations is presented. 2. The extraction is a single step procedure, and is reproducible and linear throughout the concentration range encountered. 3. Clinical evaluation of the drug is presented in eighteen epileptics on the basis of the percentage of days on which subjects had seizures before and after sodium valproate therapy. 4. A tentative therapeutic range for sodium valproate is presented on the basis of plasma levels and therapeutic effect.