HEENT Week 1 Flashcards
GENERAL APPROACH TO PATIENT
- History
- Physical Exam
- Laboratory (as indicated)
- Imaging/Procedure (as indicated)
- Referral (as indicated)
What is the approximate percentage of HEAD TRAUMA results in mortality?
What types of damage do we see and what general Sx may appear?
~ 50% with severe injury (more deaths & disability than other neuro cause in >50 yo)
- Damage to nerve tissue, blood vessels and meninges can result in neural disruption,
ischemia, hemorrhage and edema
Open head injuries: (emergency)
Piercing of the skull, direct trauma e.g. GSW (gun shot wound)
–> direct effects from the tissue damage and shock waves
Closed head injuries (emergency or urgency)
Eg. acceleration-deceleration injury (whiplash)- local injury and opposite side of skull
“contra-coup injury”
- severity based on:
i) loss of consciousness or not
ii) presence or absence of neurologic signs
Questions appropriate for History Taking in the case of Head pain.
- Full history with presentation of head pain
- Accompanying symptoms (eg. eye, ears, cranial nerves, neurologic, GI, temperature, etc)
- History of head injury?
- Follow-up Q: Any loss of consciousness?
- Lesions, tumors, scalp hair loss, rashes?
Physical Exam for Head Pain.
- Observation: ex. cranial size → hormonal issues
- Vitals: height and weight every time (weight: chronic disease, particular with wasting; kids, elderly; height: kids, elderly)
- Palpation of head and scalp: lesions, masses, tenderness; On infants, examine fontanelles
- Full exam of Ears, Eyes, Nose, Sinus, Throat, Neck
- Appropriate neurological exams (CN, peripheral, orientation, cognitive) *Review of cranial nerves 1-12
Laboratory for Head Pain
as indicated.
examples: ESR, CRP, CBC, CMP
Imaging/Procedure for Head Pain
(as indicated) – mass, bleeding, ruptured layers or blood vessel
- MRI (vasculature)
- CT (gen structures)
- angiography
- lumbar puncture
- CSF analysis
Referral for Head Pain
as indicated
Emergency, Neurology, Dermatology
What is the approximate mortality percentage for Head Trauma with severe injury? What type of damage does it cause?
Mortality ~ 50% with severe injury (more deaths & disability than other neuro cause in >50 yo)
–> Damage to nerve tissue, blood vessels and meninges can result in neural disruption, ischemia, hemorrhage and edema
Categories of Head Injury
Open Head Injury
Closed Head Injury
Migraine HA
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
Sex: 1:3 M:F Age: before 30 Location: unilateral Intensity: Moderate - Severe Pain Quality: Pulsating
Migraine HA
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants:
Triggers: stress, food, disrupted homeostasis
Frequency: 2-6/mo
Duration: 4-72 hours
Concomitants: nausea, vomiting, photophobia, aura
Tension HA
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Sex: 1:2 M:F
- Age of Onset: anyone
- Location: bilateral, occiput
- Pain Intensity: mild to moderate
- Pain Quality: tightening, steady
Tension HA
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants:
- Triggers: mental stress, eye strain, posture
- Frequency: -
- Duration: variable
- Concomitants: pericranial tenderness
Cluster HA
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Sex: 4.3:1::M:F
- Age of Onset: 30 for men, later for women
- Location: unilateral, temple V1 V2
- Pain Intensity: severe
- Pain Quality: boring, searing
Cluster HA
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants
- Triggers: season, cigarettes
- Frequency: 1-3 per day
- Duration: 30 min-3hr
- Concomitants: miosis, eyelid edema, conjuctival injection, congestion, lacrimation, ptosis, facial swelling, rhinorrhea
Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Sex: 1:1.5::M:F
- Age of Onset: after 40 yrs, few pediatric
- Location: Unilateral, V3
- Pain Intensity: severe
- Pain Quality: lightning, burning
Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants
- Triggers: movement or contact, unique per person
- Frequency: -
- Duration: 1-120 seconds
- Concomitants: increased risk of suicide
Hemicrania continua
- Sex: 1:2 M:F
- Age of Onset: -
- Location: Unilateral, V1 V2
- Pain Intensity: moderate with spikes
- Pain Quality: jabbing
Hemicrania Continua
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants
- Triggers: unknown
- Frequency: daily for >3mo
- Duration: Daily or continuous
- Concomitants: conjectival injection, lacrimation, congestion, rhinorrhea, ptosis, miosis Indomethacin is effective treatment
SUNCT Syndrome
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Sex: Rare
- Age of Onset: -
- Location: unilateral Orbital, periobital, temporal
- Pain Intensity: unilateral Orbital, periobital, temporal
- Pain Quality:severe
SUNCT Stymdrome:
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants
- Standout Features
- Triggers: touching the area: the face, bathing, washing/brushing hair, shaving, chewing, coughing
- Frequency: 3-200 a day
- Duration: 5-240 sec, 1-2 bouts a year
- Concomitants: Automonic symptoms;
- Standout Features: High frequency per day
Medication overuse HA
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Sex: 1:5::M:F
- Age of Onset: 30-40 with hx of HA
- Location: -
- Pain Intensity: like migraine or tension
- Pain Quality
Medication overuse HA
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants
- Standout Features
- Triggers: overusing analgesic
- Frequency: HA>15day/mo
- Duration: -
- Concomitants: Worse upon waking, with exercise. N/V, cramps, other GI distress, anxiety, restlessness, sweating, sleep problems
- Standout Features: HA worse than before overusing anagesic, overuse> 3mo.
Dietary Related HA
COME BACK
HA from inflammation in skull
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Sex: -
- Age of Onset: often young
- Location: generalized, worst in occiput
- Pain Intensity: very severe
- Pain Quality: Throbbing
HA from inflammation in skull
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants
- Standout Features
- Triggers: -
- Frequency: 1x
- Duration:
- Concomitants: Triad: Nuchal rigidity, change in mental status, fever.
- Standout Features: Rash on legs; Kernig’s and brudzinski’s sign positive
HTN HA
Concomitants
Standout Features
Concomitants: epistaxis, bruits in carotids
Standout Features: Sudden severe increase in BP
Intracranial hypertension
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Triggers
- Duration
- Standout Feature
- Pain Intensity: mild, but becomes worse
- Pain Quality: deep, aching
- Triggers: posture change, laying down
- Duration: up to 3 hours
- Standout Feature: Worse upon laying, abrupt posture change
Intracranial hypotension
- Age of Onset
- Triggers
- Stand Out Features
- Age of Onset: after lumbar pucture or dural tear
- Triggers : Sitting upright
- Stand Out Features: Better laying down than sitting upright
Giant cell (temporal) arteritis
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Sex
- Age of Onset: 72 yo
- Location: temporal, occipital, orfFrontal-occipital
- Pain Intensity: variable
- Pain Quality: not throbbing
Giant cell (temporal) arteritis
- Triggers
- Concomitants
- Standout Features
- Triggers: aging, heavy smoking, northern European
- Concomitants: fever, anorexia, weight loss, declining visual acuity, jaw and arm claudication, polymyalgia rheumatica
- Standout Features: Better sitting upright than laying down, palpable nodules over artery, superficial tenderness
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Pain Intensity
- Pain Quality
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location: generalized, worst in occiput
- Pain Intensity: sudden; worst and worsening
- Pain Quality: Throbbing
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Triggers
- Frequency
- Duration
- Concomitants
- Standout Features
- Triggers: head trauma, spontaneous
- Frequency: 1x
- Duration: continuous
- Concomitants: personality changes, hemiparesis, and altered consciousness if subdural*
- Standout Features: Similar to meningitis
Temporomandibular joint syndrome
- Sex
- Age of Onset
- Location
- Concomitants
- Standout Feature
mal-position, inflammation or arthritis in TMJ, post-whiplash injury
- Sex: usu F
- Age of Onset: young
- Location: unilateral, TMJ radiating to ear
- Concomitants; bruxism
- Standout Feature: limited ROM, tenderness in area, popping or clicking
Depressive HA
- Location
- Concomitants
- Location: generalized, vague
- Concomitants: Other somatic complaints
Eye Pain HA
- Concomitants
- Concomitants: Glaucoma, conjuctivitis, iritis, uveitis, strabismus, errors of refraction causing eye strain
Types of Primary Head Injuries
- Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (Simple Concussion)
- Moderate diffuse TBI
- Severe diffuse TBI (traumatic brain injury)
How many grades of severity categorize Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (Simple Concussion)?
Differentiate between the grades.
3 grades of severity (Grading scale: American Academy of Neurology guidelines)
GRADE I: Confusion, sx last < 15 min, no LOC
GRADE II: Symptoms last >15 min, no LOC
GRADE III: LOC for seconds to minutes
What Signs and Sx point to Mild TBI (simple concussion)?
What PEs need to be done?
- Signs & Sxs: none-to-brief loss of consciousness, dilated pupils, breathing stops, muscles flaccid, heart slows. Recovery in seconds to minutes- may have days to weeks of giddiness, anxiety, poor concentration, headaches, sleep disturbance
- PE: perform neuro exam; CT scan may be needed if persistent symptoms
What is Moderate diffuse TBI?
Unconsciousness for up to an hour with slower recovery of orientation and behavior. Wider area of the brain involved.
What are the signs and Sxs for moderate diffuse TBI?
- Signs & Sxs: Lethargic for 1-7 days. Many have agitation or anxiety
What type of imaging can be used for moderate diffuse TBI and what will it show?
- Imaging: CT may be normal or may show scattered petechiae or contusion in brain. May show hematoma at contra-coup position
Tx for moderate diffuse TBI?
Prognosis?
- Tx: hospitalization to watch for complications; rest (physical & cognitive), NO alcohol or drugs
- Prognosis: complete recovery in days to weeks in those under 40yrs. Those > 40 may have permanent intellectual and psychological effects. Worse prognosis in alcohol/drug abusers.
Red Flag Sx for moderate diffuse TBI?
- unconsciousness
- altered mental status
- convulsions
- persistent HA (constant or intermittent)
- extremity weakness
- bleeding from ear(s)
- loss of hearing
What is Severe diffuse TBI (traumatic brain injury)?
What is the Tx?
categorized by patient response rather than the injury.
- Severe brain edema, ischemic infarction, hemorrhages-immediate or delayed several hours (20%)
- usu. deep unconsciousness from the start
- Respiratory obstruction due to aspiration of vomit or saliva
- Brain stem damage shown by bilateral pupillary fixation, slow responses to light, or anisocoria
Tx: emergency hospitalization required
Post-concussion syndrome: What type of Sxs and how long do Sx persist?
Sx can include: HA (headache), fatigue, anxiety, dizziness, memory problems, attention problems, sleep disturbance, irritability, nausea, vomiting.
Duration: weeks to years.