title: Management of seizures and epilepsy.
abstract: While the evaluation and treatment of patients with seizures or epilepsy is often challenging, modern therapy provides many patients with complete seizure control. After a first seizure, evaluation should focus on excluding an underlying neurologic or medical condition, assessing the relative risk of seizure recurrence and determining whether treatment is indicated. Successful management of patients with recurrent seizures begins with the establishment of an accurate diagnosis of epilepsy syndrome followed by treatment using an appropriate medication in a manner that optimizes efficacy. The goal of therapy is to completely control seizures without producing unacceptable medication side effects. Patients who do not achieve complete seizure control should be referred to an epilepsy specialist, since new medications and surgical treatments offer patients unprecedented options in seizure control.
authors.affiliation: Northern California Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0138, USA.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014630:Vagus Nerve
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants