Résumé
Context: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for certain resistant psychiatric disorders. The seizure threshold (ST), defined as the minimum dose of electrical stimulus triggering an epileptic seizure, is crucial for optimizing treatment, but its inter-individual variability remains poorly understood. This study aims to identify factors influencing the ST to improve ECT efficacy and reduce its side effects. Methods: a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on 381 patients who received bilateral ECT since 2010. Their ST was determined by titration. Regression models were used to evaluate the association between ST and patients' clinical and demographic variables. Results: a significant correlation was observed between ST, age, and sex. Two predictive models were developed and compared to a model described in the literature, offering complementary approaches to predict ST. We suggest a new titration protocol to reduce the number of sessions required for titration in patients identified as resistant by our model. Conclusion: this study confirms the importance of age in ST variation in bilateral ECT, and provides nuances through our proposed models. More relevant titration protocols could result from our study, potentially reducing the number of sessions needed to reach the optimal threshold while minimizing side effects.