Common Pitfalls in Epilepsy Case-Based Learning

Epilepsy is amongst the most frequently encountered of neurological disorders, yet its diagnosis and management is fraught with pitfalls. Issues surrounding differential diagnosis, seizure type, underlying causes, EEG interpretations, treatment options and prognoses can often trip-up clinicians. Common Epilepsy Pitfalls: Case-Based Learning, is a comprehensive guide to anticipating and managing the pitfalls in the diagnosis and management of epilepsy. Real-life cases are presented along with pragmatic recommendations for courses of action that guide the reader through accurate and effective epilepsy diagnosis and treatment. Cases have been chosen to answer key questions such as: the first seizure – is it epilepsy? Which drug? When should stopping treatment be considered? What to do in an epileptic emergency? Containing detailed coverage of psychiatric, social and family issues – and authored by world experts in epilepsy management – this text is invaluable for neurologists, internists, family practitioners and advanced medical students.

Preface; Introduction; 1. Mistaking non-epileptic events for epilepsy; 2. Mistaking EEG changes for epilepsy; 3. Radiographic errors in epilepsy; 4. The first seizure: is it epilepsy?; 5. When to start treatment?; 6. Which drug is best?; 7. How to optimize treatment?; 8. What to do if drugs don't work?; 9. When to stop treatment; 10. Women with epilepsy; 11. Management of psychiatric issues in epilepsy; 12. Management of emergencies in epilepsy; 13. Management of social issues; Index.

Dieter Schmidt is Emeritus Professor of Neurology at the Free University of Berlin and Head of the Epilepsy Research Group (ERG), Berlin, Germany.
Steven Schachter is Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA and Associate Director of Clinical Research at the Harvard Medical School Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies.