A pilot study of the modified Atkins diet for Sturge-Weber syndrome.

The modified Atkins diet (MAD) is a dietary treatment for epilepsy which does not restrict fluids or calories. This theoretically makes the MAD safer than the ketogenic diet for children with Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS). Five children aged 4-18 years with SWS and at least monthly intractable seizures were started prospectively on the MAD for 6 months. All children had urinary ketosis and seizure improvement, including 3 with > 50% seizure reduction.