Epileptic Seizures. Clinical and Electrographic Features, Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract

This book is devoted to detailed descriptions of the numerous attack patterns. Particular detail is given to precise symptomatic features by clinical observation, cinematography and videotape; the accompanying electro encephalographic seizure discharge; and the polygraphic recording of motor components (by electromyography, eye movement recordings) and of autonomic components (by ECG, respirography, and electrodermography). Also covered in detail are: definition and classification in epileptology; techniques of investigating; clinical description of epileptic seizures, their electrographic correlates and apparent pathophysiology; various combinations of epileptic suizures, the seizure types, age of the patient and etiology; diagnosis of the epileptic nature of the seizures; a review of the various non epileptic seizures which pose problems of differential diagnosis and the treatment and counseling of patients with epileptic seizures. Considerable information is provided, including descriptions of a large number of electrophysiological investigative techniques, several often unrecognized varieties of generalized epileptic seizures, mechanisms of ictal enuresis and the epileptic cry, principal types of unilateral epileptic seizures seen mainly in childhood and the related hemiconvulsion hemiparesis (HH) and the hemiconvulsion hemiparesis epilepsy (HHE) syndromes, the Lennox Gastaut syndrome, relations between different types of sleep and various seizure forms, and benzodiazepine drugs as major anti epileptic agents.