The Epilepsy Handbook

Now updated, this bestselling reference is a practical point-of-care guide to the diagnosis and management of epilepsy. This edition's updated coverage of drug therapy includes current American Academy of Neurology guidelines, new drugs, newly approved indications, and more.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological problem affecting children and adolescents, with an incidence rate of 1–2%. Diagnosing epilepsy in children is often complicated by age-dependent manifestations which can differ greatly from seizure disorders seen in adults. Thus, effective treatment and management depends on clinicians to establish an accurate diagnosis and choose appropriate therapy based on the likelihood of clinical benefit. Handbook of Pediatric Epilepsy will be a concise overview of seizures in infants, children, and adolescents, including a discussion of common types of seizure disorders, treatment options, recent drug developments, and evidence-based disease management guidelines.

Make your way through the epilepsy maze Epilepsy is a complex neurological condition. There are many modern treatment options, and treatment should nowadays be tailored to an individual patient. But identification of the best therapy can be a labyrinthine process. The Handbook of Epilepsy Treatment provides a practical pathfinder for treating epilepsy based on published evidence and the author’s 30 years of specialist clinical experience. Direct in style but comprehensive in content, with ample tables and summaries, the Handbook of Epilepsy Treatment covers: Treatment of the different forms and causes of epilepsy Treatment in the different commonly encountered clinical situations Treatment in children, in adults, in the elderly, in women, in epilepsy syndromes and in those with special needs and requirements Epilepsy drugs – their pharmacology, kinetics, side effects, effectiveness and practical usage in the clinic Epilepsy surgery – the various types, the indications, assessment and outcome A succinct pharmacopeia summarizes the entire range of anti-epileptic medications with emphasis on effective prescribing in the clinical setting. The Handbook of Epilepsy Treatment will help you and your patient find the best path to control epilepsy for each individual’s situation.

Once feared and misunderstood even among the medical community, epilepsy has since largely been demystified. Besides the characteristic seizures, various cognitive, behavioral, and emotional difficulties are recognized as associated with the condition, and patients are finding relief in medical management and/or surgical intervention. Not surprisingly, neuropsychology has emerged as a major component in treatment planning, program development, and assessment of surgical candidates. Geared toward beginning as well as veteran clinicians, the Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Epilepsy offers readers a skills-based framework for assessment and treatment, using current evidence and standardized terminology. Expert coverage reviews widely-used methods for evaluating key aspects of patient functioning (MRI, MEG, electrocortical mapping, the Wada test), and presents guidelines for psychotherapeutic and cognitive remediation strategies in treating comorbid psychiatric conditions. Given the diversity of the patient population, additional chapters spotlight issues specific to subgroups including high- and low-functioning as well as geriatric and pediatric patients. This integrative hands-on approach benefits a range of practitioners across medical and neurological settings. Topics featured in the Handbook: Neuropsychological assessment across the lifespan. Evaluating the epilepsy surgical candidate: methods and procedures. The Wada test: current perspectives and applications. Assessing psychiatric and personality disorders in the epilepsy patient. Evaluation and management of psychogenic non-epileptic attacks. Neuropsychological assessment with culturally diverse patients. Practical and flexible in its coverage, the Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Epilepsy serves not only neuropsychologists and neurologists but also primary care physicians such as internists, family physicians, and pediatricians.

A revised edition of a useful reference which provides a thorough explanation of seizures and epilepsy, followed by a section on managing the patient with a first seizure, treatment of children and infants, anti-epileptic treatments, special issues for women with epilepsy, and treatment of status epilepticus in adults and children. Also addressed are long-term management issues, strategies for managing the difficult patient, non-epileptic events, and surgery, as well as information on the law, insurance concerns, resources, and guidelines for daily activities. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A concise synopsis of all major forms of therapy and treatment associated with epilepsy affecting both children and adults.

This is a succinct, portable, essential guide to the practical management of women with epilepsy for busy clinicians.