5/23 UWorld Flashcards
Which is more worrisome and why: unilateral facial paralysis sparing the forehead or unilateral facial paralysis involving the forehead?
- Upper motor neuron lesion - more severe, could mean stroke
- Destruction of motor cortex or connection between motor cortex and facial nucleus
- Contralateral paralysis of lower facial muscles (sparing of forehead)
- Lower motor neuron lesion - Bell’s Palsy
- Destruction of facial nucleus or facial nerve
- Ipsilateral paralysis of upper and lower muscles of face
- Explanation:
- Facial motor nucleus receives motor fibers for the lower face from the opposite motor cortex and motor fivers for the upper face from both moto cortices
- So if a lesion occurs in the L motor cortex facial region, there is still sufficient innervation for R upper face from R motor cortex
- But since L motor cortex is the only innervation of R lower face, there will be paralysis of R lower face
What are the 4 midline structures and associated lesion presentations in the brainstem
Motor pathway - contralateral weakness
Medial lemniscus - contralateral proprioception/vibration deficit
Medial longitidinal fasciculus - ipsilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia
Motor nuclues and nerve - ipsilateral CN motor loss (3, 4, 6, 12)
What are the 4 lateral structures and associated lesion presentations of the brainstem?
Spinocerebellar - ipsilateral ataxia
Spinothalamic - contralateral pain and temp
Sensory V - ipsilateral pain and temp of the face
Sympathetic - ipsilateral Horner’s
What are the layers that you go through during a spinal tap?
Skin - superficial fascia - supraspinous ligament - interspinous ligament - ligamentum flavum - epidural space - dura mater - subdural space - arachnoid membrane - subarachnoid space (this is where CSF is)
Diseases associated with berry aneurysm
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
Describe the presentation of normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Ventricular dilation with normal ICP
- Occurs in the elderly
- Triad - “Wet, wacky, wobbly”
- Urinary incontinence = wet
- Dementia = wacky
- Ataxia = wobbly
- Magnetic gait – feet appear stuck on floor
Describe cluster HA (duration, location, features, associated sx, treatment)
15 min – 3 hours
Repetitive (often occur daily at the same time)
Unilateral, non-throbbing heading
Excruciating pain, usually perioribital
Associated with lacrimation, rhinorrhea, and Horner syndrome (ptosis and miosis, not anhidrosis)
Treatment: 100% O2, sumatriptan
Describe tension HA (duration, location, features, associated sx, treatment)
Usually 4 – 6 hours
Bilateral headache with constant, steady pain
Usually in frontal or occipital lobe
No throbbing, no photophobia, no phonophobia, no aura
Treatment: NSAIDs, Acetaminophen
Describe migraine HA (duration, location, features, associated sx, treatment)
Usually 4 – 72 hours
Unilateral pulsing, throbbing headache
Associated with nausea, photophobia, phonophobia, and aura
Treatment: Triptans
Describe the MOA of Triptans
- Mechanism of action:
- Selective agonists of 5HT-1B and 5HT-1D receptors located on meningeal vessels, trigeminal nerve, and brainstem
- Activation of these receptors on vessels causes vasoconstriction of cerebral and meningeal vessels (this will attenuate inflammation and decrease the stretch at pain receptors)
- Activation of receptors directly on trigeminal nerve will prevent the release of vasoactive peptides, thus preventing vasodilation in the first place
- Activation of receptor in brainstem can inhibit pain pathways
Tumors associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease
Renal cell carcinoma (bilateral)
Hemangioblastoma
Pheochromocytoma
What is the tumor marker for tumors of astrocytes (glioblastoma multiforme and pilocytic astrocytoma)
GFAP +
Describe the blood supply of the brainstem (medial and lateral of midbrain, pons, and medulla)
- Midbrain:
- Medial - posterior cerebral
- Lateral - posterior cerebral
- Pons:
- Medial - Basilar
- Lateral - Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA)
- Medullar:
- Medial - anterior spinal (ASA)
- Lateral - Posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA)
What is the mechanism of Hepcidin sequestering iron
- Hepcidin influences body iron storage through its interaction with ferroportin, a transmembrane protein responsible for transferring intracellular iron to the circulation
- Upon binding Hepcidin, ferroportin is internalized and degraded, decreased intestinal iron absorption and inhibiting the release of iron by macrophages
Complications of Hereditary spherocytosis
Aplastic crisis
Pigmented gallstones - due to increased bilirubin from lysed RBCs
Classic presentation of AML
Bleeding in the setting of DIC (characterized by decreased fibrinogen)
Which coagulation factor has the shortes half-life
Factor VII