Status Epilepticus

An invaluable reference work comprehensively reviewing current knowledge and treatment of Status Epilepticus.

A comprehensive review of recent advances in the most severe form of epilepsy, focusing on two areas in which progress has been most rapid: basic mechanisms and treatment. Interest in status epilepticus--the most extreme form of epilepsy, involving continuous seizures--has surged in the last 20 years. Since 1979 there have been over 4,000 publications on the subject, including more than 1,700 in the last five years. No other text provides such a comprehensive review of the recent advances in the field of status epilepticus. The book focuses on the two areas in which progress has been most rapid: basic mechanisms and treatment. There is now a greater understanding of the mechanisms and complications of status epilepticus at the molecular level, which should eventually lead to improved therapy, and treatment strategies today have a greater sense of urgency because of the realization that neuronal apoptosis and necrosis can be triggered very quickly. After an overview of history, classification, and epidemiology, the contributors consider clinical phenomenology, biological markers, pathophysiology, brain damage, epileptogenesis, therapeutic principles, pharmacology, and therapeutic management. Their contributions are equally divided between studies of basic mechanisms in animal models and clinical studies, so that the reader can turn easily from the reductionist experiment that isolates a small component of status to the complex clinical situation in which these principles can translate into therapeutic action. The goal is to provide a scientific rationale for clinical decisions while developing therapeutic attitudes that are firmly grounded in pathophysiology.

The only comprehensive source of information on this frequently misdiagnosed problem, with information critical for physicians, ER and ICU doctors, and psychiatrists. An under-recognized condition that can potentially cause brain damage and even death, nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is an important clinical problem, occurring in about 25% of status epilepsy cases. Despite this prevalence, Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus is the first comprehensive clinical text to cover its diagnosis and management. The book progresses logically, beginning with chapters discussing the history and classification of NCSE, reflecting a contemporary understanding of developmental, syndromic, and clinical aspects. Following chapters discuss relevant epidemiology, electrophysiology, imaging and pathophysiology of NCSE, with supplementary sections devoted to psychiatric and behavioral aspects of NCSE and to the different diagnostic considerations of its frequently unusual behavioral presentations. Highlights include: An emphasis on diagnosis, management, and all pertinent clinical issues A heavily illustrated section on EEG interpretation in NCSE Contributions by the foremost international experts on NCSE Throughout, the book maintains a practical focus on recognizing the key signs and symptoms of this subtly presented and clinically challenging condition. This multidisciplinary volume will provide physicians, ER and ICU doctors, and psychiatrists with a comprehensive source of information and opinion on nonconvulsive status epilepticus.

Status Epilepticus (SE) is a single epileptic seizure lasting more than five minutes or two or more seizures within a five-minute period without the person returning to normal between them. SE is a life-threatening medical emergency particularly if treatment is delayed. This book is a concise guide to Status Epilepticus for practitioners and trainees. Beginning with an overview of the condition and the evolution of its definition over the years, the following chapters discuss prehospital management and investigations and monitoring. The remaining sections cover management therapies. A flow chart and protocols are included to assist management in intensive care units and questions and answers are provided at the end of each chapter to enhance learning. Key points Concise guide to diagnosis and management of Status Epilepticus Covers different management therapies Includes flow chart and protocols to assist management in intensive care units Questions and answers at the end of each chapter enhance learning

This book collects the results of clinical experience and research, as well as the opionions of the specialists who have studied in depth several rare and complex syndromes associated with "Continuous Spikes and Waves During Slow Sleep", the Landau-Kleffner syndrome, and related conditions. It also presents a wide-ranging collection of cases presented by the participants in the meeting, and analysed in its various clinical, electrophysiological and psycho-intellectual aspects. The purpose of the book is to provide a thorough updated on specialised knowledge about the syndromes characterised by the presence of CSWS on the EEG, to bring out the many, still unanswered -- questions, and to stimulate further interdisciplinary research to verify the validity of present hypotheses, in order to clarify which preventive and therapeutic methods can best attain the control of such syndromes.

A panel of senior clinicians critically reviews the many forms of status epilepticus (SE), their causes, manifestations, methods of diagnosis, and appropriate treatments. The emphasis is on the disease as encountered by the clinician in the field and the importance of correct recognition and diagnosis. The authors provide for each form of SE the underlying genetic, biological, and developmental background, the pathophysiological processes, as well as the precipitating factors that lead to an episode. For the difficult problem of diagnosing nonconvulsive SE, they offer detailed syndrome classifications, differential diagnoses, descriptions of seizure "imitators," notes on unusual behavioral and cognitive manifestations, and carefully delineated clinical presentations. Additional highlights include striking EEG reproductions that provide classic examples of patients in SE, SE in very young children and neonates, and an analysis of the cellular physiology and processes occurring during SE.

This book aims to offer the accumulated fertile experience of treating drug-resistant epileptic patients collected over the past few decades, focusing on aspects of neurology, neurosurgery, emergency care, critical care medicine and basic medical research. Refractory status epilepticus is one of the most common severe and acute diseases in neurology and neurocritical care; it is also the main cause of death in epileptic patients. In the context of prevention and treatment processes, it is not only necessary to terminate epileptic seizures, but to also address the disruption of the patient’s internal environment and provide critical life support. Effective treatment calls for multi-disciplinary support from neurology, neurosurgery, emergency care, critical care medicine, and other fields. Further, since the clinical features of epileptic seizure are not specific, it is necessary to differentiate it from other diseases that produce convulsions, disorders of consciousness, syncope, mental and behavioral disorders, myoclonus, etc., to avoid misdiagnosis. In this book, it comprehensively and systematically describes the basic knowledge as well as prevention and treatment tips, providing an invaluable reference resource for medical students and professionals in neurology, neurosurgery, emergency care and critical care medicine.

Over the past decade, the hospitalist model has become a dominant system for the delivery of inpatient care. Forces such as national mandates to improve safety and quality, and intense pressure to safely reduce length of hospital stays, are now exerting pressure on neurologists. To meet these challenges, a new neurohospitalist model is emerging. This is the first authoritative text to detail the advances and strategies for treating neurologic disease in a hospital setting. It includes chapters on specific acute neurologic diseases including stroke, epilepsy, neuromuscular disease and traumatic brain injury and also addresses common reasons for neurologic consultation in the hospital including encephalopathy, electrolyte disturbances and neurologic complications of pregnancy. Ethical and structural issues commonly encountered in neurologic inpatients are also addressed. This will be a key resource for any clinician or trainee caring for neurologic patients in the hospital including practising neurologists, internists and trainees across multiple subspecialities.