Washington, DC – The convergence of research in neurogenetics, metabolism, and imaging has dramatically advanced the diagnoses, treatment, and management of epilepsy.
Two new texts –one edited and one co-edited – by Phillip L. Pearl, MD, Division Chief of Neurology at Children’s National, highlight the need for an updated look at this complex series of conditions.
“Epilepsy is a collection of disorders with seizures as a symptom,” said Dr. Pearl. “Child neurologists and epileptologists recognize that underlying disorders – biochemical or structural – can in many cases be treated directly, thereby addressing further ‘up stream’ the occurrence and severity of seizures.”
Inherited Metabolic Epilepsies, edited by Dr. Pearl, focuses on a poorly understood group of disorders that can have devastating consequences if unrecognized and not treated promptly. With input from both the genetic-metabolic and epilepsy communities, this text from Demos Medical Publishers provides state-of-the-art guidance for understanding and managing epilepsies based in metabolic disorders, and concludes with a diagnostic and management algorithm for physicians looking for clear direction.
Dr. Pearl also co-edited the recently released Epilepsy in Children and Adolescents, with James Wheless, MD, at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis. This is an up-to-date, comprehensive overview on epidemiology and classification, diagnosis, and treatment of seizures and epilepsy syndromes during childhood and adolescence.
“Together these texts showcase the advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of pediatric neurologic diseases and how these new insights are being translated into novel molecular-based therapeutics,” said Roger J. Packer, MD, Senior Vice President, Center for Neurosciences and Behavioral Medicine, Children’s National.
The Division of Neurology at Children’s National is part of the larger Center for Neurosciences and Behavioral Medicine, which is home to more than 30 pediatric neurosciences specialists, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive centers of its kind in the country.
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Contact: Paula Darte or Emily Hartman, Children’s National Public Relations: 202.476.4500.