Neuro Investigations Flashcards
Is imaging usually needed for parkinsons disease?
No
Parkinson’s disease sign on DAT-SPECT scan.
Period shaped (normal is comma shaped)
MS investigations
MRI (always)
CSF (sometimes, looking for oligoclonal bands)
Neurophysiology (sometimes)
MS blood tests (to rule out other stuff)
FBC Inflammatory markers Renal liver bone profile Auto-antibody screen Borellia, HIV, syphilis serology B12 and folate Vit D
When should a patient with a head injury be given a CT scan within 1 hour of being identified?
GCS <13 on initial assessment in ED GCS <15 at 2 hours after injury Suspected open or depressed skull fracture Any sign of basal skull fracture Post traumatic seizure Focal neurological deficit More than one episode of vomiting Suspicion of NAI
In what patients should a CT scan be immediately requested if they experienced loss of consiousness or amnesia?
65 and over
Coagulopathy (including anticoagulants/platelets)
Dangerous mechanism of injury
Extradural haematoma CT findings
Lens shape haematoma
Diffuse axonal injury CT findings
Might see nothing or a few little white dots
Gene coding for sodium channel that when absent causes no pain, but when abnormal causes increased pain.
SCN9A
Most common HLA allele associated with MS?
HLA DRB1
Investigation findings in alzheimers (clinical diagnosis so probably wouldn’t do them)
MRI - temporal/parietal atrophy
SPECT scan - temperoparietal decreased metabolism
CSF - decreased amyloid to tau ratio
MRI findings for ALS
Normal
Investigations for MND
None are diagnostic
Neuroimaging and lab studies to rule out other diseases
Intra-cerebral haemorrhage investigations
CT scan - urgent if decreased conscious level
Angiography if suspicion of underlying vascular anomaly
ICP normal range
7-15mmHg
