Imitators of Epilepsy, Second Edition

Edición de la obra Imitators of epilepsy

Many patients referred for an epilepsy evaluation actually suffer from one of many conditions that can imitate it. Imitators of epilepsy are a diverse group that involve consideration of many areas of internal medicine, neurology, and psychiatry. The most important imitators of epileptic seizures are dizziness, vertigo, syncope, complicated migraine; and somewhat less frequently sleep disorders, transient cerebral ischemia, paroxysmal movement disorders, endocrine or metabolic dysfunction, delirium, psychiatric conditions or transient global amnesia. Clearly under-recognized are hyperventilation episodes, panic attacks, and other psychogenic and psychiatric paroxysmal disorders that may simulate epileptic seizures. This volume provides a comprehensive review of the differential diagnosis of seizures: how do the imitators of epilepsy present clinically, what are their particular distinguishing historical features, and what tests are helpful with diagnosis?