Neuromuscular Disease : Evidence and Analysis in Clinical Neurology

Evidence-based medical practice stresses the examination of evidence from clinical research as the basis for clinical decision making, rather than relying on unsystematic clinical experience and pathophysiological rationale. In Neuromuscular Disease: Evidence and Analysis in Clinical Neurology, Michael Benatar, MBChB, demonstrates this approach in the case of neuromuscular disease with a critical appraisal of the neurological literature. Writing in a readable, accessible style, the author considers, in detail, a broad range of the published literature relevant not only to questions of treatment, but also to issues of diagnosis and prognosis of neuromuscular disease. Through a series of questions and answers concerning specific neuromuscular disorders, each chapter critiques the best available evidence to illustrate strengths and weaknesses of the data and make the reader aware of the quality of clinical research studies in general. Introductory chapters facilitate this learning process by elucidating the epidemiological and biostatistical issues pertinent to diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. A broad range of disorders of the anterior horn cell, nerve roots, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction, and muscle are critically appraised and discussed. Original and illuminating, Neuromuscular Disease: Evidence and Analysis in Clinical Neurology clarifies the available evidence base for why neurologists practice as they do in neuromuscular disease and suggests a healthy degree of skepticism about claims that are made without supporting evidence. Evidence-based medical practice stresses the examination of evidence from clinical research as the basis for clinical decision making, rather than relying on unsystematic clinical experience and pathophysiological rationale. In Neuromuscular Disease: Evidence and Analysis in Clinical Neurology, Michael Benatar demonstrates this approach in the case of neuromuscular disease with a critical appraisal of the neurological literature. Writing in a readable, accessible style, the author considers, in detail, a broad range of the published literature relevant not only to questions of treatment, but also to issues of diagnosis and prognosis of neuromuscular disease. Through a series of questions and answers concerning specific neuromuscular disorders, each chapter critiques the best available evidence to illustrate strengths and weaknesses of the data and make the reader aware of the quality of clinical research studies in general. Introductory chapters facilitate this learning process by elucidating the epidemiological and biostatistical issues pertinent to diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. A broad range of disorders of the anterior horn cell, nerve roots, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction, and muscle are critically appraised and discussed. Original and illuminating, Neuromuscular Disease: Evidence and Analysis in Clinical Neurology clarifies the available evidence base for why neurologists practice as they do in neuromuscular disease and suggests a healthy degree of skepticism about claims that are made without supporting evidence.Features: Evidence-based appraisal of the medical literature on neuromuscular disease, Emphasis on the best available evidence for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, Written in a readable and accessible question and answer format, Introductory chapters elucidating the epidemiological and biostatistical principles, Coverage of the most common neuromuscular diseases treated by adult neurologists. Considers, In Detail, A Broad Range Of The Published Literature Relevant Not Only To Questions Of Treatment, But Also To Issues Of Diagnosis And Prognosis Of Neuromuscular Disease. Through A Series Of Questions And Answers Concerning Specific Neuromuscular Disorders, Each Chapter Critiques The Best Available Evidence To Illustrate Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Data And Make The Reader Aware Of The Quality Of Clinical Research In General. A Broad Range Of Disorders Of The Anterior Horn Cell, Nerve Roots, Peripheral Nerves, Neuromuscular Junction, And Muscle Are Critically Appraised And Discussed. Basic Principles Of Epidemiology And Biostatistics -- Diagnosis -- Treatment -- Prognosis -- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -- Cervical Spondylosis -- Lumbar Spondylosis -- Polyneuropathy -- Paraproteinemic Neuropathies -- Vasculitic Neuropathy -- Guillain-barré Syndrome -- Chronic-inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy -- Multifocal Motor Neuropathy -- Inherited Neuropathies -- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome -- Ulnar Neuropathy At The Elbow -- Myasthenia Gravis -- Lambert-eaton Myasthenic Syndrome -- Inflammatory Myopathy -- Idiopathic Hyper-ck-emia -- Statin-associated Myopathy -- Metabolic Myopathy -- Critical Illness Weakness -- Myotonic Dystrophy -- Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. By Michael Benatar. Errata Slip Inserted. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A Certain Kind of Wisdom In Plato’s Apology, the Greek philosopher Socrates is on trial to defend himself against the allegation of corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates denies this charge and offers an alternate reason for why he is on trial. He explains, “[w]hat has caused my reputation is none other than a certain kind of wisdom. What kind of wisdom? Human wisdom, perhaps(1). ” He proceeds to tell the story of his friend Chaerophon, who once asked the Oracle at Delphi whether there was anyone wiser than Socrates. The Oracle answered that there was not. Socrates did not agree and thought that he would try to prove the Oracle wrong. And so he set about seeking out Athenians with a reputation for wisdom in various regards in order to test their claims to knowledge through questioning. He discovered many with false claims to knowledge and none with genuine wisdom and ultimately concluded that he was the wisest. He reached this conclusion not because of any special knowledge he possessed that others did not, but rather because he recognized his own lack of knowledge and strived to learn more, while others thought that they were kno- edgeable but were not. Socrates’ conclusion that there is wisdom in recognizing the limitations of accepted knowledge represents the motivation for this book. This volume presents a critical appraisal of the neurological literature on neuromuscular disease from an evidence-based perspective. Writing in a readable, accessible style, the author considers, in detail, a broad range of the published literature relevant not only to questions of treatment, but also to issues of diagnosis and prognosis. Through a series of questions and answers concerning specific neuromuscular disorders, each chapter critiques the best available evidence to illustrate strengths and weaknesses of the data and make the reader aware of the quality of clinical research studies in general. Introductory chapters facilitate this learning process by elucidating the epidemiological and biostatistical issues pertinent to diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. A broad range of disorders of the anterior horn cell, nerve roots, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction, and muscle are critically appraised and discussed. Basic principles of epidemiology and biostatistics Diagnosis Treatment Prognosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Cervical spondylosis Lumbar spondylosis Polyneuropathy Polyneuropathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy Vasculitic neuropathy Guillain-Barre syndrome Chronic-inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy Multifocal motor neuropathy Inherited neuropathies Carpal tunnel syndrome Ulnar neuropathy at the elbow Myasthenia gravis Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome Inflammatory myopathy Idiopathic hyper-CK-emia Statin-associated myopathy Metabolic myopathy Critical illness neuromuscular disease Myotonic dystrophy Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Presents a critical appraisal of the neurological literature on neuromuscular disease from an evidence-based perspective. This book considers a broad range of the published literature relevant not only to questions of treatment, but also to issues of diagnosis and prognosis. It critiques the evidence to illustrate strengths and weaknesses of data Aims to provide a critical appraisal of the literature relevant to the subspeciality of neuromuscular disease within neurology. The topics in this book focus on issues surrounding diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and natural history of neuromuscular disease in the areas such as: peripheral nerve disease; neuromuscular junction disorders; and more.