Neurologia

Evidence-based Neurology: Management of Neurological Disorders
EDITED BY

Livia Candelise
Cochrane Neurological Network Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico University of Milan Milan, Italy

WITH

Richard Hughes
King’s College London School of Medicine at Guy’s King’s College and St Thomas’ Hospitals London, UK

Alessandro Liberati
Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia Modena, ItalyBernard M.J. Uitdehaag
VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Charles Warlow
University of Edinburgh Western General Hospital Edinburgh, UK

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Evidence-based Neurology: Management of Neurological Disorders

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Evidence-based Neurology: Management of Neurological Disorders
EDITED BY

Livia CandeliseCochrane Neurological Network Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico University of Milan Milan, Italy

WITH

Richard Hughes
King’s College London School of Medicine at Guy’s King’s College and St Thomas’ Hospitals London, UK

Alessandro Liberati
Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia Modena, Italy

Bernard M.J. Uitdehaag
VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Charles WarlowUniversity of Edinburgh Western General Hospital Edinburgh, UK

© 2007 by Blackwell Publishing BMJ Books is an imprint of the BMJ Publishing Group Limited, used under licence Blackwell Publishing, Inc., 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd, 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053,Australia The right of the Author to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2007 1 2007 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Evidence-based neurology : management of neurological disorders / edited by Livia Candelise ... [et al.]. p. ; cm. “BMJ Books.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7279-1811-6 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Nervoussystem—Diseases. 2. Neurology. 3. Evidence-based medicine. I. Candelise, Livia. [DNLM: 1. Nervous System Diseases—therapy. 2. Evidence-Based Medicine. WL 140 E93 2007] RC346.E972 2007 616.8—dc22 2006038415 ISBN: 978-0-7279-18116 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library Set in 9/12pt Meridian by Charon Tec Ltd (A Macmillan Company), Chennai, India, www.charontec.com Printed andbound in Singapore by COS Printers Pte Ltd Commissioning Editor: Mary Banks Editorial Assistant: Victoria Pittman Development Editors: Vicki Donald, Simone Dudziak Production Controller: Rachel Edwards For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestrypolicy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the text paper and cover board used have met acceptable environmental accreditation standards.

Blackwell Publishing makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore alwayscheck that any product mentioned in this publication is used in accordance with the prescribing information prepared by the manufacturers. The author and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this book.

Contents

Contributors, vii Preface, x

Part 1 Introduction
1 Evidence-based...