Neuro Flashcards
What are some causes of gross motor delay?
- Cerebral palsy
- Ataxia
- Myopathy
- Spina bifida
- Visual impairment
What are some causes of fine motor delay?
- Dyspraxia
- Cerebral palsy
- Muscular dystrophy
- Visual impairment
- Congenital ataxia (rare)
What are some causes of global developmental delay?
- Down’s syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome
- Rett syndrome
- Foetal alcohol syndrome
- Metabolic disorders
What are some causes of language delay?
- Specific social circumstances - multiple languages, siblings do all talking
- Hearing impairment
- Learning disability
- Neglect
- Autism
- Cerebral palsy
What is a potential management option for language delay?
SALT, audiology and health visitor; consider referring to safeguarding
What are potential causes of personal and social delay?
- Emotional and social neglect
- Parenting issues
- Autism
What is a febrile convulsion?
Seizure occurring in a child with a high fever
What age children will experience febrile convulsions?
6 months to 5 years of age
What characterizes a simple febrile convulsion?
Generalized, tonic clonic seizure; <15 minutes - only during single febrile illness
What characterizes a complex febrile convulsion?
Partial or focal seizure; >15 minutes, multiple times during same febrile illness
What is the typical presentation of a patient with a febrile convulsion (consider age too)?
~18 months, 2-5 minute tonic-clonic seizure during high fever. Fever caused by underlying viral infection (e.g. tonsillitis)
What are key differentials to consider when a child presents with a possible febrile convulsion?
- Epilepsy
- Meningitis, encephalitis, other neuro issue (e.g. cerebral malaria)
- IC space occupying lesions (e.g. brain tumour, IC haemorrhage)
- Syncopal episode
- Electrolyte abnormalities
- Trauma (consider safeguarding)
What would prompt an ambulance to be called when a child suffers a possible febrile convulsion?
> 5 minutes (1st episode should be trip to hospital anyway)
Which carries higher risk of future epilepsy development: simple/complex febrile convulsions?
Simple slightly higher than gen. population
Complex 10-20% higher (worse prognosis)
What are the clinical feature of generalized tonic-clonic seizure?
- Tonic-clonic
- Tongue biting
- Incontinence
- Groaning
- Irregular breathing
- Post-ictal period
What is the 1st line management for generalized tonic-clonic seizure?
Sodium valproate
What is the 2nd line management for generalized tonic-clonic seizure?
Lamotrigine, carbamazepine
What are the clinical features of focal seizures?
- Temporal lobe; hearing, speech, memory emotions (hallucinations, memory flashback, déjà vu, autopilot)
What is the 1st line management for focal seizures?
Carbamazepine
Lamotrigine
What is the 2nd line management for focal seizures?
Sodium valproate
Levetiracetam
What characterizes a absence seizure?
Blank and staring into space before returning to normal after around 10-20 seconds.