title: Rational management of epilepsy.
abstract: Management of epilepsies in children has improved considerably over the last decade, all over the world due to the advances seen in the understanding of the patho-physiology of epileptogenesis, availability of both structural and functional imaging studies along with better quality EEG/video-EEG recordings and the availability of a plethora of newer anti-epileptic drugs which are tailormade to act on specific pathways. In spite of this, there is still a long way to go before one is able to be absolutely rational about which drug to use for which type of epilepsy. There have been a lot of advances in the area of epilepsy surgery and is certainly gaining ground for specific cases. Better understanding of the genetic basis of epilepsies will hopefully lead to a more rational treatment plan in the future. Also, a lot of work needs to be done to dispel various misunderstandings and myths about epilepsy which still exists in our country.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, vishneuro@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Venkataraman
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Viswanathan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans