Brain Injury Flashcards
What Electroencephalogram pattern is associated with a better prognosis after TBI?
Rhythmic theta activity, frontal rhythmic delta activity and spindle pattern are associated with better prognosis. Poor prognosis is associated with epileptiform activity, nonreactive, low amplitude and burst suppression patterns with interruption of isoelectricity. Complete isoelectric EEG activity ha the highest mortality.
Common signs of metastatic brain cancer seen on physical examination
Hemiparesis 59% Impaired cognitive function 58% Hemisensory loss 21% Papilledema 20% Vision field cut 7%
Factors associated with unfavorable outcomes after a stroke
- Poor Sitting balance
- Prior Stroke
- Coma at onset
- Sig CV disease
- Unilateral hemineglect
- Poor upper extremity motor function
- Older age
- B/B incontinence
- Lack of motor recover after 1 month
- Greater severity of stroke
Rate of DVT in different types of Brain injuries
Brain tumors 21.2% NTBI 16.3% Intraparenchymal hemorrhage 14.6% Penetrating 10.5% Non-Penetrating 6.4%
True or False
Patients with hemorrhagic strokes are twice as likely to have venous thromboembolism and PE as patients with ischemic stroke
True
Patient presents with loss of facial pain and temperature sensation and ipsilateral Horner syndrome symptoms with contralateral loss of bod pain and temperature sensation. She was also found to have nystagmus, dysphagia and dysphonia.
What is Wallenberg syndrome. Lesion of the lateral medulla. Other areas that can be affected include:
- Vertebral arteries
- PICA
- Superior Lateral medullary artery
- Middle lateral medullary artery
- inferior lateral medullary artery
Leading cause of post-stroke disability among nursing home residents
Urinary Incontinence
The usual time of onset of diabetes insidious in patients with TBI
10 days post injury when the antidiuretic hormone stored in the posterior pituitary is depleted.
Name the neurologic deficit showed improvement with slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to the un-injured hemisphere in stroke patients
Aphasia
Brain tumors in which lies are least likely to be associated with seizures?
Cortical tumors have higher incidence of associated epilepsy than non cortical deeper lesion. Tumors involving the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes are more associated with seizures than occipital lesions.
What medication has the best evidence to accelerate the pace of functional recovery in patients with disorders of consciousness after severe TBI?
Amantadine
Most common features of medulloblastoma
Most common primary malignant tumor in children. 85% of children will have long-term learning and memory deficits. Highest incidence in children under 10. Arise in the cerebellum and have a long-term survival rate of approximately 80%.
Most common complications during post acute stroke rehabilitation
Asp/PNA 40% UTI 40% RSD (CRPS) 30% Falls 16% VTE 6%
Internal Capsule Stroke
Intact Sensation and cognition
Weakness affecting the hand and foot more than the proximal muscles on the same side.
Reorganization following Brain Injury
Refers to tissue adjacent to the affected areas expanding their receptive fields to capture and mediate at least some of the original physiological activities that were destroyed by the injury
Vicariaion following Brain Injury
functions taken over by brain areas not originally in charge of that function
Equipotentialitiy following Brain Injury
Capacity of anatomically distinct areas of the brain to mediate a rather wide variety of functions.
Diaschisis following Brain Injury
Suppression of neural activity in regions that are not involved and may be spatially distal to the lesion following brain injury.
Factors Related to development of late post-traumatic seizures
Age, Pre-injury alcohol abuse, family history of seizures, inheritance of apolipoprotein E allele, depressed skull fracture, focal neurologic deficits, retained bone or metal fragments, dural penetration, intracranial hemorrhage, severe TBI, early post-traumatic seizures
Most common neuropsychological dysfunction after a liver transplant
Encephalopathy
Risk factors for developing VTE in the setting of brain tumor
- Larger tumors
- Supratentorial location
- Presence of intraluminal thrombosis in the tumor pathologic specimen
- age over 60
- chemotherapy
- presence of hemiparesis
Most common presenting symptoms of metastatic brain cancer
Headaches 49% Mental Disturbance 32% Focal Weakness 30% Gait Ataxia 21% Seizures 18% Speech difficulty 12%
Leading causes of traumatic spinal cord injury
- MVA
- Falls
- Violence
- Sports
# falls have increased over the last 3 decades
Effects of Spinal cord injury on the mensuration cycle
41-85% of women will have amenorrhea. Menstruation returns within 6 months aft SCI, 90% will see return within 12 months. Once menstruation resumes, women can become pregnant at same success rates as the general population.
Myotome testing in standard ASIA testing
C5 –Elbow flexors (biceps, brachialis)
C6 –Wrist extensors (extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis)
C7 –Elbow extensors (triceps)
C8 –Finger flexors (flexor digitorum profundus) to the middle finger
T1 –Small finger abductors (abductor digiti minimi)
L2 –Hip flexors (iliopsoas)
L3 –Knee extensors (quadriceps)
L4 –Ankle dorsiflexors (tibialis anterior)
L5 –Long toe extensors (extensor hallucis longus)
S1 –Ankle plantar flexors (gastrocnemius, soleus)
According to the international standards of neurologic classification of SCI, what is the specific position used for each myotome tested.
C5 –Elbow flexed at 90 degrees, arm at the patient’s side and forearm supinated
C6 –Wrist in full extension
C7 –Shoulder is neutral rotation, adducted and in 90 degrees of flexion with elbow in 45 degrees of flexion
C8 –Full flexed position of the distal phalanx with the proximal finger joints stabilized in a extended position
T1 –Full abducted position of fingers
L2 –Hip flexed to 90 degrees
L3 –Knee flexed to 15 degrees
L4 –Full dorsiflexed position of ankle
L5 –First toe fully extended
S1 –Hip in neutral rotation, neutral flexion/extension, and neutral abduction/adduction, the knee is fully extended and the ankle in full plantarflexion
List in order from most to least common SCI categories
- Incomplete tetraplegia
- Incomplete paraplegia
- Complete paraplegia
- Complete tetraplegia
Central Cord Syndrome
Commonly seen in elderly with cervical spondylosis after a fall resulting in a hyperextension injury. Disproportionally motor impairment of the upper than the lower extremity, bladder dysfunction, urinary retention and varying degrees of sensory loss below the level of the lesion.