Epilepsy

Epilepsy is common but complex

Epilepsy is a complicated neurological condition with variable manifestations, numerous etiologies, and a diverse range of treatments. It is a chronic disease that, in many cases, can be controlled. However, treatment requires accurate clinical evaluation to allow intelligent treatment choices. 

Epilepsy has been designed to help you develop these evaluation skills. Expert neurologists have distilled the evidence and combined their experience. They provide practical guidance to: 

• The causes and classification of epilepsy
• Working up seizures
• Antiepileptic medications
• Pediatric epilepsy
• Adult epilepsy
• Emergency epilepsy
• Comorbidity and mortality of epilepsy

Clinical in approach, practical in execution, Epilepsy is packed with tricks, tips, and focused advice to help you better manage your patients? seizures.

Contributor List ix

Series Foreword xiii

Preface xv

Part I: Epilepsy Basics

1 Recognizing Seizures and Epilepsy: Insights from Pathophysiology 3
Carl E. Stafstrom

2 Classifying Epileptic Seizures and the Epilepsies 10
Valeria M. Muro and Mary B. Connolly

3 What Causes Epilepsy? 15
Anna Rosati and Renzo Guerrini

4 Epidemiology of Seizures and Epilepsy 28
Aidan Neligan and Josemir W. Sander

Part II: Working up Seizures and Epilepsy

5 Diagnosing and Localizing Seizures at the Bedside and in Clinic 35
Joseph I. Sirven

6 Psychogenic Nonepileptic Episodes 42
Vaishali S. Phatak

7 What Can the EEG Tell Us? 45
Mark Quigg

8 What Can Neuroimaging Tell Us? 54
Edward J. Novotny

9 Workup of New-Onset Seizures 61
Jennifer Langer

10 Evaluation of the Patient with Medically Refractory Epilepsy 67
Gregory L. Holmes

Part III: Using Antiepileptic Medications

11 Choosing, Initiating, Adjusting, and Changing Antiepileptic Medications 77
John W. Miller

12 Antiepileptic Drug Adverse Effects: What to Watch Out For 84
Jacquelyn L. Bainbridge and Caleb Y. Oh

13 Antiepileptic Drug Interactions 91
Philip N. Patsalos

14 Recognizing Intractability to Antiepileptic Medication 102
Bassel W. Abou-Khalil

15 Optimizing Antiepileptic Drug Therapy in Refractory Epilepsy 107
Nicholas P. Poolos

16 Rescue Medications for Home Treatment of Acute Seizures 112
Peter Wolf and Rûta Mameniškienë

17 When and How to Stop Antiepileptic Drugs 118
John D. Hixson

18 Using Parenteral Antiepileptic Medications 122
Jane G. Boggs

19 Pharmacopeia 126
Gail D. Anderson

Part IV: Special Topics in Pediatric Epilepsy

20 Seizures in the Neonate 141
Adam L. Hartman and Frances J. Northington

21 Benign and Malignant Childhood Epilepsies 147
Katherine C. Nickels and Elaine C. Wirrell

22 Epilepsy: When to Perform a Genetic Analysis 159
Heather E. Olson and Annapurna Poduri

23 Metabolic Disorders Not to Miss 167
Phillip L. Pearl and Yuezhou Joe Yu

Part V: Special Topics in Adult Epilepsy

24 Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and Other Primary Generalized Epilepsies 177
Shahin Hakimian

25 Epilepsy in Women of Childbearing Age 184
Autumn Klein

26 Epilepsy After Sixty 189
Edward Faught

Part VI: What can be done when medication doesn’t work?

27 When Should Epilepsy Neurosurgery Be Considered, and What Can It Accomplish? 199
Paul A. Garcia

28 When Should Vagus Nerve Stimulation Be Considered, and What Can It Accomplish? 205
Pearce J. Korb and Sandra L. Helmers

29 Ketogenic Diet and Alternative Therapies 210
Dana Ekstein and Steven C. Schachter

Part VII: How are acute seizures and status epilepticus evaluated and treated in the emergency department and the hospital?

30 acute Symptomatic Seizures in Children and Adults: Evaluation and Treatment 217
J. Stephen Huff and Jessica L. Carpenter

31 Evaluating and Treating Status Epilepticus 222
Jeffrey Bolton and Howard P. Goodkin

32 Recognizing, Assessing, and Treating Seizures and Status Epilepticus in the ICU 227
Nicolas Gaspard and Lawrence J. Hirsch

Part VIII: The morbidity and mortality of epilepsy

33 mortality in Epilepsy 243
Elizabeth J. Donner

34 Accidents in Epilepsy 248
Allan Krumholz and Ana M. Sanchez

35 Medical Comorbidity in Epilepsy 253
Kimberly L. Pargeon and Sheryl R. Haut

36 Cognitive Effects of Chronic Epilepsy 260
Daniel L. Drane

37 Recognizing and Treating Psychiatric Comorbidity in Epilepsy 268
Jay Salpekar

Index 275

Color plate section between pages 80 and 81

John W. Miller, MD, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

Howard P. Goodkin, MD, PhD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA