Book Reviews Intractable Focal Epilepsy Edited by Oxbury JM, Polkey CE, Duchowny M. $225.00. London, W.B. Saunders, 2000. 878 pp. Eighty-three authors have contributed to Intractable Focal Epilepsy,a fairly comprehensive text that is a unique contribution to the field of epileptology. Recently several new epilepsy texts have been published, yet the editors and authors of this text have managed to focus on topics related to the diagnosis and management of intractable epilepsy that have not been well addressed in any other single volume. As is the case with most multi-authored texts, the chapters in this volume vary in the quality of the prose and differ by the degree to which a comprehensive review of the topic was undertaken. Fortunately, some of the best chapters are of interest to child neurologists. The text is divided into the following four sections: semiology, investigations, medical and surgical management, and economics. There is a welcome emphasis on the etiology and pathology of intractable partial epilepsy not found in most epilepsy texts. This pathologic emphasis is best demonstrated by the excellent review of malformations of cortical development by Drs. Sisodiya, Squier, and Anslow, who richly illustrate their chapter with 37 pictures of gross pathology, microscopic pathology, and neuroimaging images of cortical malforma- tions. The review of partial seizures in West syndrome by Weiss and Snead is well referenced and presents a well-documented approach to diagnosis and management of these patients. The chapter on Landau- Kleffner syndrome and the acquired epileptic aphasias by Neville and colleagues emphasizes the need for additional documentation of the efficacy of corticosteroids and mulptiple subpial transection before the widespread use of these treatments. Chapters on brain tumors (Riviello et al.), Rasmussen syndrome (Hart and Andermann), and cerebrovascular disorders in children (Cross and Kirkham) should all be of special interest to child neurologists. The investigations section include a relatively brief chapter on mag- netic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques; a more detailed chapter on positron emission tomography (PET), which emphasizes the fluorode- oxyglucose PET but does not mention the new, promising flumazenil PET techniques; a nice review of ictal single-photon emission computed tomograhy; and a brief discussion of magnetoencephalography. The coverage of neuropsychologic defects in temporal-lobe epilepsy and frontal-lobe epilepsy is extensive. The chapters on ontogenetic special- ization of hemispheric function and quality of life among children and adolescents with epilepsy are especially well written. The chapter on drug therapy in children by Dr. Gilman presents an excellent review of developmental pharmacology (required reading for physicians caring for children with epilepsy) and assessment of drug- resistant epilepsy. All clinicians working in epilepsy surgery centers will find Cendes’ review of radiologic evaluation of hippocampal sclerosis, which is well illustrated with both MRI and MRI spectroscopy, very helpful. The thoughtful chapter on seizure reduction by Oxbury and Polkey offers an excellent review of outcome studies of epilepsy surgery, as well as issues for future investigation. The chapter on the ketogenic diet presents only introductory informa- tion on the topic, and clinicians who wish to treat children with the ketogenic diet will need to consult more detailed reviews of the subject. Although the review of invasive neurophysiologic evaluation of partial epilepsy in children by Jayakar and Duchowny is excellent, epileptolo- gists working in epilepsy centers will require more detailed treatment of this topic found elsewhere in the literature and in texts on epilepsy surgery. The chapters on temporal-lobe surgery and extratemporal surgery are nicely written but with inadequate detail for neurosurgeons and epileptologists active in the operating room. The authors and editors successfully have completed an epilepsy text that should be accessible to all epileptologists. Child neurologists who find the price excessive should recommend that this book be acquired by their nearest medical library for consultation. Edwin Trevathan, MD, MPH Associate Professor of Neurology & Pediatrics Director, Pediatric Epilepsy Center Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis Children’s Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Neurophysiology By Kerry H. Levin, MD and Hans O. Luders, MD, PhD. 630 pp. illustrated. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Company, 2000, $159.00. ISBN 0-7216-76 The American Board of Medical Specialties approved Clinical Neu- rophysiology (CNP) as an added qualification certification in 1990, and the first CNP examination was given in 1992. Simultaneously, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation began offering an intensive review course in comprehensive clinical neurophysiology aimed at helping prepare neurologists for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology certificate for added qualification in clinical neurophysiology. The course format has allowed the faculty to receive input from the audience and revise and refine their lectures over the years. As the syllabus material became more complete, the idea for a textbook of comprehensive clinical neurophysiology developed. This 627-page textbook, Comprehensive Clinical Neurophysiology, compiled by 36 experts in the field, represents that work. The editors state that the goals are (1) to guide proper physiologic testing, (2) to provide a reference for interpretation of clinical electrophysiology data, and (3) to review physiologic concepts underlying neurophysiology. The text is divided into the following nine sections: (1) basic neurophysiology, (2) electromyography, (3) electrodiagnosis of neuromuscular disorders, (4) evaluation of central influences on peripheral function, (5) electroencephalography, (6) electroencephalography in disturbances of cerebral functions, (7) electroencephalography in the epilepsies, (8) evoked potentials in interoperative monitoring, and (9) sleep disorders. Each of these sections is well done and details the principles, scope, limitations, diagnostic importance, and prognostic relevance for each of these techniques. The textbook is well written and has an adequate amount of illustrations that are clear and illustrate the primary points. Most importantly, the book reads easily. Strengths of this book are the first section on basic neurophysiology, which encompasses nine chapters. These chapters are succinct yet provide some of the best chapters available to review this information for the clinical neurophysiology board examinations. A second feature of this book, which is very helpful, is the case vignettes that are found in each one of the chapters on neuromuscular disorders. These are espe- cially helpful in refining the concepts for the reader, who may not have extensive training in neuromuscular disease. For the physician preparing for the clinical neurophysiology board examinations, this title represents the single best review textbook available. It is priced reasonably when compared with other textbooks that are also single volume reviews of clinical neurophysiology. If the goal of the person buying this textbook is to review for the added qualifications of the clinical neurophysiology board, this is the text they should buy. However, for the pediatric neurologist who may be looking for a single reference book, this textbook has several weaknesses. For instance, there are no sections devoted to pediatric studies. There are no normals for pediatric nerve conduction studies and no pediatric normals or chapters for any of the evoked-potential modalities. There are no sections on pediatric sleep disorders or electroretinography. There are no sections on the use of digital electroencephalography or topographic 396 PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY Vol. 24 No. 5 © 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. 0887-8994/01/$—see front matter