The successful substitution of corn oil for MCT oil in 6 children treated with the ketogenic diet for intractable seizures is reported from the Depts of Pediatrics, Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital, 804 Wolfe St., Little Rock, AR. Seizure types were mixed in all 6 patients, absence in 5, minor motor in 4, myoclonic in 3, and complex partial and generalized tonic-clonic in 1. All had been controlled with MCT oil diets but corn oil has the major advantages of being less expensive, more readily available without prescription, and better tolerated. Anticonvulsants were reduced in 5 patients and eliminated in 3, without deterioration in seizure control. [1]

COMMENT. The medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil was advocated by [2] as a substitute for dietary fats in the ketogenic diet. MCT' s are more ketogenic and less restrictive of carbohydrates, they are more rapidly absorbed than dietary fat and may induce ketosis more quickly. A disadvantage of the MCT diet is the frequency of gastrointestinal side-effects, many patients suffering from bulky, loose stools, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Perhaps the superiority and availability of corn oil will encourage a renewed interest in the ketogenic diet for the treatment of refractory seizures in children.