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?