Matthew Walker

Simon D. Shorvon

To most of us epilepsy means dramatic and uncontrolled convulsions. The reality is more complex and less alarming. To dispel the mystery and to provide real help, two leading epilepsy specialists have written this succinct guide. Explaining that epilepsy is a symptom not a disease, they take you through the types and causes of epileptic seizure, giving special emphasis to the options for treatment and discussing the latest advances in drug therapy. Their conclusion is that epilepsy may be common, but usually gets better and there are excellent ways of controlling it.

Understanding Epilepsy

D.R. Fish

F. Andermann

G.M. Bydder

H. Stefan

It was only in 1980 that the first recognisable magnetic resonance images of the human brain were published, by Moore and Holland from Nottingham University in England. There then followed a number of clinical trials of brain imaging, the most notable from the Hammersmith Hospital in London using a system designed by EMI, the original manufacturers of the first CT machines. A true revolution in medicine has ensued; in only a few years there are thousands of scanning units, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has assumed a central importance in medical investigation. It is an extraordinary fact that within a few years of development, the esoteric physics of nuclear spin, angular momentum, and magnetic vector precession were harnessed to provide exquisite images of living anatomy; modem science has no greater tribute. That indisputable king of neurology and the oldest of recorded conditions, epilepsy, has not been untouched by the new technology; indeed, it is our view that the introduction of MRI of electroencephalography (EEG) in the late has been as important to epilepsy as was that 1930s. Now, for the first time, the structural and aetiological basis of the condition is susceptible to thorough investigation, and MRI can provide structural detail to parallel the functional detail of EEG. MRI has the same potential as had EEG over 50 years ago, to provide a new level of understanding of the basic mechanisms, the clinical features and the treatment of epilepsy.

Magnetic Resonance Scanning and Epilepsy

Steven C. Schachter

Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy

This comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to epilepsy compares and contrasts scientific knowledge, clinical experience and social consciousness between Western and non-Western cultures, enhancing transcultural understanding and providing a paradigm for an integrative, truly global health policy for this disorder. Topics covered include pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of epilepsy; care models and traditional medical systems; service organization in resource-limited countries; cultural perspectives on consequences of epilepsy; social, anthropological, economic, political, and spiritual issues related to living with epilepsy; infectious and non-infectious causes and risk-factors; region-specific syndromes. Uniquely drawing attention to both a medical perspective and the burden of living with epilepsy, this is a must-have reference work for epileptologists, neurologists, epidemiologists, medical policymakers and health administrators in both the developed and developing world.

A Global Approach

Epilepsy

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

Simon D. Shorvon

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