Clinical Neuro Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is involved when taking a history (Hx) of a patient?
Chief Complaint
Hx of Present illness
Past medical Hx
Past surgical Hx
Family Hx
Medications
Social Hx
What is taken during a physical exam?
-Vital signs
- General examination
- Focused exam:
-eg. neurologic, cardiovascular, opthalmologic, Gynecologic
What are Diagnostic studies as part of an evaulation?
X-ray
CT
MRI
Blood chemistry
Hematologic
Microbiologic
lumbar puncture and EEG
T/F: Etiogic diagnosis takes precendence over anatomic localization when it comes to initial analysis of neurologic disorders
False; anatomic localization takes precendence over etiologic diagnosis (slide 3 lecture 1)
What is the first step in clinical encounters in order to properly assess a patient, especially when patients’ symptoms are in the sensory sphere?
To enlist in the patients trust and cooperation and make them realize the importance of the history and examination procedure
What should be taken down when performing a neurological examination (Neurological complaint)?
Age
Chief Complaint
History of Present Illness
Past Medical History
Family History
Social History
Review of Systems
What should be recorded when evaluating the history of present illness?
1.) When the problem began
2.) Whether it came on abruptly or insiduously
3.) Subsequent course has been characterized by improvement, worsening, or exacerbation and remission
4.) For episodic disorders, such as headaches or seizures, the time course of individual episodes should also be determined
What are the 10 brief neurologic examination in general medical or surgical patient?
1.) Orientation, insight into illness, language assessed during taking of the history
2.) Size of pupils, reactions to light, visual and auditory acuity
3.) Movement of eyes, face, and tongue
4.) Examination of the outstretched hands for atrophy, pronating or downward drift, tremor power of grip, and wrist dorsiflexion
5.Biceps, supinator, and triceps tendon reflexes
6.) Inspection of the legs during active flexion and extension of the hips, knees, and feet
7.) Patellar, achilles and plantar reflexes
8.) Vibration sensibility in the fingers and toes
9.) Finger to nose and heel to shin testing of coordination
10.) Gait
After the 10 steps of evaluation, what follows immediately after?
Examination of the cranial nerves including the optic discs, neck, and trunk to the testing of motor, reflex, and sensory function of sphincters and the autonomic nervous system if appropriate and testing for meningeal irriation by examining the suppleness of the neck and spine
Gait and station (standing position) are observed before or after the rest of the examination
When are higher cortical functions tested?
Tested in detail if the patients history or behavior has provided a reason to suspect some defect
What are the two aspects a part of the mental status examination?
Psychiatric aspects:
Affect, mood, and normality of thought process and content
Cognitive aspects:
Level of consciousness, awareness (attention), language, memory, visuospatial, and other executive abilities
What is praxis?
The ability to carry out commanded tasks
What is an good example used to test visuospactial perception and are indicated in cases of suspected cerebral disease?
Bisect a line, Have a patient draw a clock or a floor plan of ones home or a map of ones country , and copying figures
What is memory?
the ability to register, store, and retrieve information and can be impaired by either diffuse cortical or bilateral temporal lobe disease
How can you test a patients immediate recall?
have a patient immediately repeat a list of numbers or objects
What is a way to test recent memory?
the patient can be asked to repeat a list of items 3 to 5 minutes later
How can you test remote memory?
Can ask a patient about facts he or she can be expected to have learned in the past years
Confusion states can impair what form of memory?
Immediate recall
How is amnesia affecting memory?
Amnesia is associated with predominant involvement of recent memory, with remote memory preserved until late stages
- personal and emotionally charged memories tend to be preferentially spared
What suggest a psychiatric disorder?
Inability of an awake and alert patient to remember his or her own name
T/F: Psychogenic amnesia patients lose their personal and emotionally charged memories
TRUE
What can lesion in the parietal lobe cause?
Cause misperception of or inattention to sensory stimuli on the side of the body opposite the lesion