Treatment of Epilepsy

The second edition of The Treatment of Epilepsy is a vital contribution to the field. The book's primary focus is on the medical and surgical evaluation and treatment of the disease. Experts around the globe who have made seminal contributions to the treatment of epilepsy have contributed to the book, which preserves its flow and focus extremely well. The bibliographies are detailed and up to date, and the color plates deserve special mention for their clarity and the quality of their images. The first section focuses on general principles in the diagnosis, classification, and treatment of epilepsy. In this section, the clinically relevant basic science of epileptology and data related to the discovery of drugs are also explored. The second section discusses principles of medical evaluation and treatment of patients with epilepsy in a variety of clinical settings: newly diagnosed disease, onset in infancy or childhood, epilepsy in elderly or cognitively impaired patients, and status epilepticus. This section also evaluates a variety of other medical conditions that may influence the management of epilepsy. (Figure) The third section describes medications that are used for treatment. One of the section's attractive aspects is a table on the first page of every chapter that lists the salient features of the drugs -- indications for use, conventional doses in children and adults, common and serious side effects, and clinically relevant drug interactions and pharmacokinetics. These tables are extremely helpful as a quick reference. A useful supplement to this section is a chapter on ongoing clinical development and trials of 11 new agents with respect to their safety and efficacy as antiepileptic drugs. The fourth section focuses on the presurgical evaluation and surgical treatment of epilepsy. It comprehensively discusses the principles of presurgical evaluation, the usefulness and indications for various established and new imaging techniques, and the selection of candidates for surgery. Various surgical techniques in a variety of clinical settings are discussed, along with outcome data and complications. The book is set in a relatively small font, which adds to the density of material that is presented on every page. To keep its focus, the book avoids details about clinical syndromes and electroencephalographic features in epilepsy, so readers will have a better grasp of the substance of the book if they are equipped with a fundamental knowledge of these areas. This book is highly recommended and is a solid reference for anybody who is involved in the evaluation and medical care of patients with epilepsy