Mirza's Cases Flashcards
What lesion is down and out pupil?
3rd nerve palsy
What are the causes of a 3rd nerve palsy?
Surgical = SOL, posterior communicating artery Medical = Diabetes, HTN, MS
Does the pupil dilate early or late in surgical 3rd nerve palsy?
Early, due to the parasympathetic fibres running along the outside of the nerve
What investigations would you like in a 3rd nerve palsy?
Blood pressure and blood sugars to assess for medical causes
A patient has a unilateral ptosis on their right side, what are the differentials?
Horners = small pupil
Myasthenia = normal pupil
3rd nerve palsy = dilated pupil
Causes of a bilateral ptosis?
Myasthenia graves
Dystrophia myotonica
How would a 6th nerve palsy present?
Inability to abduct the affected sides eye
Causes of a 6th nerve palsy?
HTN, diabetes
MS
Raised ICP
What are the signs of raised ICP?
Earliest sign is loss of retinal vein pulsation, latest is papilloedema
Cushings triad = Bradycardia, HTN, irregular breathing
Reduced GCS
6th nerve palsy - gets pinched at the petrous temple bone
3rd nerve palsy
When do you get double vision in a 6th nerve palsy vs a 4th?
6th is when looking towards the affected side
Outer image comes from the affected eye, disappears on closing that eye .
4th is when looking down and inwards
Patient has hypertonia in both legs, reduced power, increased reflexes and clonus. Ddx?
Cord compression
Cervical spondylosis
MS
MND
CVA
What is spasticity vs rigidity?
Rigidity is the same throughout
Spasticity = clasp like, difficult to initiate then eases off. Extensors in lower limbs and flexors in upper limbs.
Patient has cord compression after our lower limb exam before, what else do we want to do and what questions should we ask?
Check sensory levels and examine upper limbs + cranial nerves
Examine sacral sensation
Ask: Any urinary incontinence, or faecal incontinence. Have they noticed any change in the sensation when weeing?
Ddx for wasting of the thenar and hypothenar eminences?
Bilateral:
- Rheumatoid
- Cervical spondylosis
- MND
- CMT
- Syringomyelia
Unilateral:
- Cervical rib
- Pancoasts
- Brachial plexus trauma
Three reasons for a CXR in a stroke patient?
Risk of aspiration pneumonia
Lung malignancy can metastasise to the brain
Enlarged heart = CCF and HTN
What are the features of neurofibromatosis 1?
Which chromosome affected?
Cafe au lait spots
Axillary freckling
Fibromas = subcutaneous, and plexiform
Eye = Lisch nodules (brown iris hamartomas)
Neoplastic change in 10% e.g. Phaeo’s, meningiomas
Orthopaedic scoliosis
IQ reduced
Renal = RAS = HTN
Chr 17
How many cafe au last spots is diagnostic and how big should they be?
6
> 15mm
What are the features of neurofibromatosis 2 and chromosome?
Bilateral acoustic neuroma = SNHL
Chromosome 22
Types of facial nerve palsy?
UMN is forehead sparing
LMN is everything:
- Bells palsy = unknown aetiology
- Ramsay hunt syndrome is reactivation of varicella zoster virus in the geniculate ganglion of CN8
What else to examine / ask about?
Change in taste as facial does anterior 2/3rds of the tongue (via the chord tympani branch of CN7)
Examine ear for any rash
Ask about any extremely loud sounds (hyperacusis due to the stapedius branch of CN7)
Extracranial branches of facial nerve?
Temporal Zygomatic Buccinator Marginal mandibular Cervical branch
How do you localise a facial palsy?
If symptoms of CN7 + 6 = pons
If symptoms of CN7 + 5 + 8 = cerebello-pontine angle
- For cranial nerve 5 can test corneal reflex (afferent branch is trigeminal, so if both eyes don’t close it is this)