Praxis
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Differential diagnosis of unilateral alveolar pulmonary infiltration includes various possibilities. Acutely developing mitral insufficiency, often without any prior cardiac symptoms, may be the cause of pulmonary edema localized exclusively in the right upper lobe. This unusual and often misinterpreted radiologic presentation is brought to attention by two case reports.
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Comparative Study
[Value of sodium valproate in the treatment of partial epilepsy].
There seems no doubt, in reviewing the literature from controlled randomized studies, that valproate is effective in the treatment of partial epilepsy. There is unanimity amongst a number of large comparative studies that valproate seems as effective as carbamazepine in suppressing secondarily generalized seizures. ⋯ Valproate is better tolerated in the shorter term because of the absence of idiosyncratic skin reactions, whilst those patients who tolerate carbamazepine initially may have fewer long-ferm problems and seem less prone to develop weight gain than patients treated with sodium valproate. For patients presenting with seizures that cannot easily be classified, valproate would seem to be the drug of choice because of its broader spectrum of antiepileptic drug activity.