Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of levetiracetam (LEV) in preventing recurrence of complex febrile seizures. Methods 100 children with complex febrile seizures who visited Wuxi Children's Hospital from January 2017 to January 2020 were randomly divided into two groups, observation group (n=50, treated with oral LEV), including 28 males and 22 females, with an average age of (1.57±0.42) years; control group (n=50, treated with oral diazepam), including 26 males and 24 females, with an average age of (1.58±0.39) years. The incidence of adverse reactions, the recurrence rate, EEG changes and neural development after the treatment in both groups were observed. Results After treatment, the incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was 4.00%, which was significantly lower (P<0.05) than that in the control group (18%). The recurrence rate of the observation group was 2.00%, which was significantly lower (P<0.05) than that in the control group (14%). The incidence of abnormal EEG in the two groups after treatment was lower than that before treatment (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The results of neurodevelopmental assessment in both two groups were in the normal range before and after treatment, and there was no significant change (P>0.05). Conclusions LEV is effective in the treatment and prevention of complex febrile seizures recurrence, with high safety, less adverse reactions and improved prognosis.