6/14 UWorld Flashcards
What causes autosplenectomy in sickle cell patients
Vaso-occlusion
Why might you see macrocytic anemia is sickle cell patients
Hemolytic anemia leads to increased erythrocyte turnover and increased folic acid requirement
So patients are prone to developing relative folic acid deficiency
Functional units of cerebellum and their corresponding deep nuclei
- REMEMBER:
- Lateral to medial = Don’t Eat Greasy Foods
- Dentate
- Emboliform
- Emboliform + Globose = Interposed
- Globose
- Fastigial
- Lateral to medial = Don’t Eat Greasy Foods
- Vestibulocerebellum
- Vermis + flocculonodular (most medial)
- = Fastigial deep nucleus
- Spinocerebellum
- Vermis + paravermis
- = Interposed (Emboliform + Globose) deep nucleus
- Cerebrocerebellum
- Lateral hemisphere
- = Dentate deep nucleus
What is the presentation and cause of hemiballismus
Sudden, wild flailing of half of body (1 arm +/- ipsilateral leg)
Seen in lesion of contralateral subthalamic nucleus
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)
Define athetosis and it’s cause
Slow, writhing movements, especially seen in the fingers
Due to lesion of basal ganglia (Huntington’s)
Define chorea and its cause
- Sudden, jerky, purposeless movements
- Due to lesion of basal ganglia (e.g. Huntington’s)
- Sydenham chorea seen in acute rheumatic fever
Define dystonia
Sustained, involuntary muscle contractions
Due to Writer’s cramp, blepharospasm, torticollis
Define akathisia and its cause
- Dancing in place (voluntary) / Restlessness
- THINK: Anthony saying “Ayy, Kayla” when she is drunk and dancing in place
- Compulsion to move
- Seen with neuroleptic use or in Parkinson’s
Define asterixis and its cause
- Extension of wrists causes “flapping” motion
- Associated with hepatic encephalopathy, Wilson disease, and other metabolic derangements
What part of the brain is affected in Huntington’s
- Atrophy of caudate and putamen with hydrocephalus ex vacuo (ventricles appear dilated due to loss of surrounding brain tissue)
- Symptoms:
- Chorea, athetosis, aggression, depression, dementia
Identify the location of the following in the spinal cord:
Dorsal column
Spinothalamic tract
Corticospinal tract (lateral and anterior)
What part of the spinal cord is damaged in Werdnig-Hoffman disease
Anterior motor horn - LMN deficit with SYMMETRIC weakness
(vs. poliomyelitis which is LMN deficit with ASYMMETRIC weakness)
Floppy baby
THINK: Hoff = hop, so you know it is associated with polio (hopping on one leg)
What part of the spinal cord is affected/presentation of complete occlusion of the anterior spinal artery
- Damage to everything except dorsal column
- Spinothalamic damage = loss of bilateral pain and temperature below the lesion
- Corticospinal damage = UMN below the lesion
- Anterior horn damage = LMN deficit at the level of the lesion
What part of the spinal cord is damaged/presentation of ALS
- Aka Lou Gehrig disease
- Damage to anterior motor horn and lateral corticospinal tract
- Presents with both UMN and LMN deficits
- Lack of sensory impairment distinguishes from syringomyelia
- Caused by defect in superoxide dismutase (O2- à H2O2)
Describe the findings in Brown-Sequard syndrome
(is each spinal pathway affected ipsilaterally or contralaterally)
- Ipsilateral UMN signs below level of lesion (corticospinal tract damage)
- Ipsilateral loss of tactile, vibration, proprioception sense below level of lesion (dorsal column)
- Contralateral pain and temp loss 2-3 segments below level of lesion (spinothalamic tract)
- 2-3 segments below because remember info travelled up 2-3 segments via Lissaur’s tract
- Ipsilateral pain and temp loss at level of lesion
- Ipsilateral LMN signs at level of lesion