Acute Neuro Flashcards
what supplies blood to the brain?
Internal Carotid Arteries
Vertebral Arteries
Describe the meninges
Pia mater -
Arachnoid mater -
Dura mater -
main function of the occipital lobe
vision
main function of the parietal lobe
somatosensory cortex
main function of the temporal lobe
hearing and balance
main functions of the frontal lobe
motor cortex
cognition
what are the main functions of the cerebellum
balance, movement, posture
dorsal column
fine touch and pressure sensation
anterolateral tract
pain sensation
corticospinal tract
voluntary motor function
in what demographic are strokes most common
adults over 65
slightly more common in males
what kind of cell injury is most common in strokes?
ischemic
usually a thrombotic or embolic event
thrombotic vs embolic stroke
thrombosis = clot forms in brain embolism = clot from body travels to brain or brain blood supply artery
what is likely to lead to thrombotic stroke?
atherosclerosis - stiffening of vessels
hypercoagulability
what is likely to lead to embolic stroke?
cardiac dysrhythmias create stasis that enables clot to form
carotid arteries get smaller as they ascend, so clot that did not occlude aorta can travel and occlude carotid
what is the most common clinical presentation of stroke?
middle cerebral - lateral cerebrum
motor and sensory loss on opposite side of body and speech abnormality
clinical presentation of posterior cerebral stroke (occipital)
visual disturbance
clinical presentation of vertebro-basilar stroke
visual disturbance
disturbance of gait
typical stroke
contralateral paralysis, weakness, or sensory loss
dysphagia - difficulty swallowing
aphasia - difficulty speaking
usually involves middle cerebral artery
can have long term consequences if not treated quickly
Aneurysm vs AVM
aneurysm - bulges form in vessels that become susceptible to rupturing
AVM - extreme pressure is put on vessel walls
epidural hematoma
forms between the skull and dura mater
subdural hematoma
forms between arachnoid membrane and dura mater
what happens to brain during intracranial hematoma
pressure on brain
landmarks displaced - may be off center
what causes epidural hematoma?
blunt force trauma to the temple
blood comes from middle meningeal artery
what causes subdural hematoma?
shearing forces
blood comes from bridging veins
lucent interval
brief period of improvement in patient condition after TBI
seen in epidural hematoma
what is the difference in onset between epidural and subdural hematoma?
epidural hematoma onset often characterized by lucent period
subdural hematoma onset often slow, sometimes weeks
cushing triad
indicates that herniation is going to occur
bradycardia
widened pulse pressure = elevated systolic
irregular respiration
what is the most common cause of meningitis?
bacterial infection
what is the most common cause of encephalitis?
viral pathogen
clinical presentation of meningitis vs encephalitis
meningitis characterized by headache, fever, stiff neck
encephalitis is flu-like - malaise, body aches, fever, also stiff neck
