Neurology Flashcards
Sodium valproate: indications and side effects?
Use: (Think ‘generalised’)
- Generalised tonic clonic
- Absence
- Atypical absence
- Myoclonic
Side effect:
- Teratogen (neural tube)
- Hyperammonaemia
- Thrombocytopenia (dose-related)
- Weight gain
Carbamazepine: indications and side effects?
Use:
1. Focal seizures +/-secondary generalised
Side effect:
- Leukopenia
- Hepatotoxicity
- SIADH -> hyponatraemia
Phenytoin: indications and side effects?
Use:
- Status epilepticus
- Focal seizures +/- secondary generalised
Side effects:
- P450 induction
- Hirsutism
- Gum enlargement
- Teratogen (hydantoin syndrome)
- Ataxia, rash
- Steven Johnson syndrome
Ethosuximide: indications and side effect?
Use:
1. Absence seizures
Side effect:
- (F)atigue
- (G)I upset
- (H)eadache
- (I)tching
- Steven (J)ohnson
Phenobarbitol: indications and side effect?
Use: (only in infants i.e. ‘phenoBABYtol’)
- Generalised tonic-clonic
- Focal seizure
Side effect:
- Severe behavioural changes
- Impaired cognition
Lamotrigine: indications and side effect?
Use:
- Lennox-Gastaut
- Focal seizures
Side effect:
- Steven Johnson syndrome
- Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
Levetiracetam: indications and side effect?
Use:
- Focal seizures (with impaired consciousness >4 years)
- Generalised tonic-clonic (>6 years)
- Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (>12 years)
Side effect:
1. Behavioural (irritability, aggression)
Topiramate: indications and side effect?
Use:
- Focal seizure
- Generalised seizure
Side effect:
- Kidney (s)tone
- (S)low cognition
- (S)kinny (weight loss)
- (S)ight threatened (glaucoma)
- (S)peech difficulties (word finding)
Oxcarbazepine: indications and treatment?
Use:
1. Benign Rolandic epilepsy of childhood (centrotemporal spikes)
Side effect:
- Ataxia
- Nystagmus
- Hyponatraemia
Which areas of the brain correspond to motor, adversive, somatosensory or emotional changes?
Focal motor = precentral gyrus
Focal adversive (forceful turning to one side) = mesial frontal lobe
Focal somatosensory = parietal
Emotional/hallucinatory = temporal
What is the treatment of choice for focal seizures?
Carbamazepine
Oxcarbazepine
Phenytoin
What is the treatment of infantile spasms?
ACTH
Vigabatrin
ACTH side effect = HTN, irritability, ionfection
Vigabatrin side effect = Vision (permanent blindness)
-> best to use with coexistant tuberous sclerosis
What is West syndrome?
Triad of: 1. Infantile spasm 2. Intellectual disability 3. Hypsarrhythmia = high voltage, irregular, slow waves
What is the EEG with Lennox Gastaut syndrome?
Generalised, bilaterally synchronous, sharp- and slow-wave complexes, occurring in repetitive fashion in long runs
a.k.a. ‘slow spike and wave’
What neurocutaneous syndrome is infantile spasms associated with?
Tuberous sclerosis