1. Neurology Overview Flashcards
What are types of Neuroimaging?
MRI, CT, myelography, angiography, perfusion, DAT
What are neurophysiology diagnostic tests?
EEG, EMG, nerve conduction studies, evoked potentials
What does Lumbar Puncture help with diagnosis of?
- Inflammatory and infectious conditions, including meningitis, encephalitis, MS
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Pseudotumor cerebri: high opening pressure
- Cancer involving meninges
What are Lumbar Puncture complications?
- Post-LP headache (positional)
- bleeding
- infection
- back pain
- rare: herniation, nerve injury
CT scan advantages
- emergency diagnosis of acute conditions
- quick and readily available
- only option for those with contraindications to MRI
- visualization of bone
- high resolution of vascular structures
CT scan disadvantages
- radiation exposure
- poor visualization of brainstem
For a CT on your head, what appears as hyperdense (bright)??
calcium, bone
CT on your head, what appears as hypodense (dark)
CSF, fat
On a CT scan, which matter is darker?
White matter is darker than grey matter
MRI advantages
- no radiation exposure
- much higher resolution, better clarity
- unmarred by bony artifact
MRI disadvantages
- some contraindications (pacemakers)
- cannot assess bone
- long acquisition time
Which diagnostic test is the test of choice for imaging most CNS diseases/lesions?
MRI
What is myelography?
Injection of 5-25 mL of radiopaque dye into subarachnoid space via lumbar puncture
You can use myelography to evaluate for ??
- spinal stenosis
- AVM
- tumor
- abscess
What is conventional angiography?
Injection of dye into cranial arteries (via catheterization from femoral artery)
Conventional angiography allows visualization of ??
- occlusions
- dissections
- primary angiitis
- aneurysms
- vascular malformations
What is SPECT?
single photon emission computed tomography
What does EEG do?
Measures brain electrical activity through scalp electrodes
EEG evaluates for ?
- seizures
- brain death
- encephalopathy
- dementia
- coma
What do Evoked Potentials record?
electrical activity in central sensory pathways produced by
* visual (VEP): alternating chckerboard pattern
* auditory (BAEP): auditory clicks through headphones
* sensory (SSEP): electrical stimuli applied to peripheral nerves
What are uses of evoked potentials?
- MS
- brainstem lesions
- acoustic neuroma
- spinal cord injury
What is electromyography?
Insertion of a small needle into individual muscles and recording of motor unit potentials at rest and with activity
What is nerve conduction velocities (NCV)?
electrical stimulation over nerves with recording of sensory and motor nerve potentials and velocities
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