Case Studies in Epilepsy: Common and Uncommon Presentations

by Edited by Hermann Stefan , Elinor Ben-Menachem , Patrick Chauvel , Renzo Guerrini

• ISBN13: 9780521167123
• ISBN10: 0521167124
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-01-07
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Clinical case studies have long been recognized as a useful adjunct to problem-based learning and continuing professional development. They emphasize the need for clinical reasoning, integrative thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork and self-directed learning – all desirable generic skills for health care professionals. Epilepsy is amongst the most frequently encountered of neurological disorders. There are important emerging clinical management issues (e.g., first seizure, therapy-resistant seizures, ICU, pregnancy) but also differential diagnosis of non-epileptic seizures (syncopy, pseudo-seizure, paroxysmal dystonic syndromes, sleep disorders, psychosis, inborn errors of metabolism, etc.). This selection of epilepsy case studies will inform and challenge clinicians at all stages in their careers. Including both common and uncommon cases, Case Studies in Epilepsy reinforces the diagnostic skills and treatment decision-making processes necessary to treat epilepsy and other seizures confidently. Written by leading experts, the cases and discussions work through differential diagnoses, treatments and social consequences in pediatric and adult patients.

Table of Contents

Preface

Diagnosis:

First seizure: is it epilepsy?

Intractable epilepsy and epilepsia partialis continua associated with respiratory chain deficiency

Reasons for violent behaviour - when a man strangles his wife

Repetitive monocular eye adduction

Febrile infectious-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES)

Epileptic seizures as presenting symptom of the Shaken Baby Syndrome

Benign rolandic epilepsy

New onset focal and generalized epilepsy in an elderly patient

When laughing makes the child fall down

Epileptic spasms and abnormal neuronal migration

A feeling of gooseflesh

Generalized epilepsy in adolescence as initial manifestation of Lafora disease

Epilepsy with a right temporal hyperintense lesion in MRI

Epileptic falling seizures associated with seizure-induced cardiac asystole in drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy

Seizures, dementia and stroke?

Comorbidity in epilepsy - dual pathology resulting in simple focal, complex focal and tonic clonic seizures

Minor motor events

Epilepsy in the ring chromosome 20

A late diagnosis of medial temporal lobe epilepsy

Experimental phenomena in temporal lobe epilepsy

The use of depth EEG (SEEG) recordings in a case of frontal lobe epilepsy

A frontal lobe epilepsy surgery based on totally non-invasive investigations

A young man with reading-induced seizure

The lady from 'no-man's-land'

The man who came (too) late

Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis

Really a cerebrovascular story?

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy - the ultimate failure

Blind but able to see

Seizure disorder! Really unexpected?

Transient epileptic amnesia in late onset epilepsy

A really unexpected injury?

Epileptic negative myoclonus in benign rolandic epilepsy

Sporadic hemiplegic migraine

A strange symptom: psychotic or ictal?

Hearing voices: focal epilepsy guides diagnosis of genetic disease

Life threatening status epilepticus due to focal cortical dysplasia

Childhood occipital idiopathic epilepsy

Treatment:

Unconscious: never again work above a meter?

A patient's patience

Idiopathic absence epilepsy: unusual AED consumption successful

Woman with gastric reflux - careful with combinations of medications

An example of both pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions

Never give up trying to find the right medication even in patients who are refractory

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and seizure aggravation

Episodic aphasia - surgery or not?

Temporal lobe epilepsy: drugs or surgery?

Shaking in elderly: reversible or fate?

Failure of surgical treatment in a typical medial temporal lobe epilepsy

Cutaneous adverse reactions by AEDs: chance or predetermination?

Timing of medical and surgical treatment of epilepsy: a hemispherotomy that would have prevented disabling cerebellar atrophy

Anticonvulsive drugs for gate disturbance and slurred speech?

Unsuccessful surgery: another chance?

If it's not broken, don't fix it!

Never ever give up

Hippocampal deep brain stimulation may be an alternative for resective surgery in medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy

Myoclonic seizures and recurrent nonconvulsive status epilepticus in Dravet syndrome

Functional hemispherotomy for drug-resistant post-traumatic epilepsy

Pharmo-resistent epilepsy?

Vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy

The strange behaviour of a vegetarian: a diagnostic indicator for treatment?

Index

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