Acquired Brain Injury Flashcards
Contusion vs Concussion
Contusion is an encephalic damage due to direct external forces (trauma) on the skull developing a haematoma.
While concussion is an encephalic damage causing by forces of inertia.
EDH
Intracranial pressure (non-depressive fracture)
> Deviation of the midline
> Compression of subcortical structures
> Compression of the brainstem
> LOC
SDH
- Undergoing anticoagulatory therapy
- Genetic diseases, where the integrity of blood vessels is compromised
- Elderly falls
- As an adverse effect of certain drugs and supplements
Concussion - Pathophysiology
Symptom prevalence in PCS
Physical:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Problems with balance and Gait
- Light and Sound sensitivity
Cognitive:
- Cognitive deficits (porblem with concentration, memory, attention)
- Language impairment
- Disorientation and Amnesia
Emotional:
- Emotional lability
- Increased anxiety
Sleep:
- Sleep-wake disturbance
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Result of multiple traumata to the head (microdamage) lead to:
- Devascularization of areas especially above the sphenoid bone
- And formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT)
Symptoms in most cases are similar to subcortical dementia
Symptoms of an acute encephalic injury
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Worsening headache
- Light and sound sensitivity
- Sleep disturbances
- Diplopia
- Fatigue
- LOC
- Poor cognitive performance
- Amnesia
- Convulsion
- Altered pupil reflex
How to prevent further complications?
- Seek medical care
- Rest your mind
- Rest your body
- Sleep
- avoir driving
- Avoid anti-inflammatory and strong pain medication
- Avoid stimulant substance
- Avoid a heavy diet
- Avoid PA (HR over 10%)
- Expect attention difficulties
- Avoid blood thinners (risk of haemorrhage)
Oncotherapy-related neurological issues
- DOC
- Memory and attention deficits
- Perceptual and reasoning deficits
- Aphasia
- Disbalance and involuntary movements
MCA and clinical correlates
ACA and clinical correlates
Upper motor neuron syndrome
Shoulder-hand syndrome
Perceptual disorders - Aphasia
- Impairment of language, affecting the verbal communication, production and/or understanding of speech
- Sometimes also impairing writing and reading
Perceptual disorders - Unilateral spatial neglect
- Behavioural disorder
- Deficit in space orientation, memory, attention, and representation
- After an ischemic stroke of the MCA
Possible resulting issues:
- Pusher syndrome
> Patient pushes the whole body with the nonaffected side.
> In all directions.
> Increasing the strength when stopped. - Extinction syndrome
Patient is unable to perceive inputs coming from the former affected side in a situation where both sides are being simultaneously stimulated