general facts Flashcards
what is encephalitis?
inflammation of brain parenchyma (usually viral)
what are the symptoms of encephalitis?
personality and behavioural changes (early)
seizures (focal and general)
speech disturbances etc
what are the causes of viral encephalitis?
HSV, varciella zoster
which investigations are carried out for encephalitis?
MRI - shows swelling
CSF - elevated lymphocyte count
which lobe does HSV encephalitis affect?
temporal lobes
what is a subdural heamatoma?
accumulation of blood in the subdural space following rupture of a vein
what causes a subdural haematoma?
head injury
what are the symptoms of a subdural haemaotma and when do they present?
interval between injury ad symptoms can be days
headache, drowsiness, confusion, hemiparesis, sensory loss, epilepsy, coma
what is a extradural haemorrhage and what causes it?
tearing of the middle meningeal artery
linear skull vault fracture
what are the typical timings and symptoms of an extradural haemorrhage?
head injury with brief duration of unconciousness, followed by improvement (the lucid interval)
patient becomes stuporose (dilated pupil and contralateral hemiparesis)
immediate investigations for sub and extradural haemorrhage?
CT
how to treat cluster headaches?
SC sumatriptan + high flow O2
what is a subdural empyema and what usually causes it?
collection of subdural pus, secondary to local skull or middle ear infection
what is a normal-pressure hydrocephalus?
enlarged ventricles in elderly patients with a clinical triad of
- a gait disorder
- dementia
- urinary incontinence
what are the clinical features of syringomyelia assocaited with arnold-chiari malformation?
- suspended area of dissociated sensory loss
- loss of upper limb reflexes
- muscle wasting in the hand and forearm
- spastic paraparesis
- brainstem signs
