Comprehensive Review of Headache Medicine (PDF)

Headache Medicine has recently become an official medical subspecialty. Practitioners who specialize in the field come from many different backgrounds including neurology, internal medicine, anesthesiology, rehabilitation medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, dentistry and others. A great deal of research is being done in HM, and, as a result, the field is one which is growing rapidly in every way. Interestingly, most patients with headache are not being treated by specialists in HM, in large part because of the vast numbers of patients requiring medical attention for headache disorders, and the relatively small number of bona fide specialists. Thus, there is a need for resources to guide these practitioners as they manage headache patients. There are several excellent scholarly texts in the field and numerous books for the public about headache. There are really no concise manuals of HM, however, there are books aimed at the bulk of skilled practitioners taking care of the major share of headache sufferers, who wish to understand the important concepts of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in this complex field. This is the aim of Dr. Levin's book which consists of 4 parts: Part 1- Headache Medicine Basic Science, Part 2- Diagnosis of Primary Headache Disorders, Part 3- Diagnosis of Secondary Headache Disorders, and Part 4- Headache Treatment.
Chapters in each section are concise, but include cutting edge information about these aspects of headache medicine. The organization of the contents of this book is similar to the Curriculum for Headache Medicine designed by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) which is the organization responsible for accrediting Headache Medicine training programs and accrediting individual practitioners. The content of the book mirrors that of the UCNS board examination as well. Chapters include key tables and illustrations. Review questions are included at the end of each chapter and serve as a study resource. The editor is a charter diplomate of the UCNS HM examination and has directed board review courses for the American Headache Society and Headache Cooperative of New England. All of the eligible chapter authors have taken and passed this exam as well. The International Classification of Headache Disorders is used throughout this text and a concerted effort has been made to base content on evidence when available, rather than personal practices. Each chapter is intended as a stand alone monograph and as a result the book can be read in virtually any order.