Neurology Flashcards
STROKE
What is it?
Ischaemic infarction or brain haemorrhage
STROKE
Risk factors?
- HTN
- DM
- HD
-PVD
Previous TIA
STROKE
Cause?
- Vessel occlusion
- Cardiac Emboli
CNS bleeds e.g. aneurysm rupture
STROKE
Number of deaths?
1 per 1000 per year
Clinical Presentation of ACA Stroke
1) Leg weakness
2) Sensory disturbances in leg
3) incontinence
4) Gait apraxia (can move lying down but cant walk)
5) drowsiness
Clinical Presentation of MCA Stroke
1) Contralateral arm+leg weakness
2) Contralateral sensory loss
3) hemianopia
4) Aphasia (language impairment)
5) Dysphagia
6) facial droop
Clinical Presentation of PCA Stroke
1) contralateral hemianopia
2) Cortical blindness
3) Visual agnosia (inability to process sensory information)
4) facial blindness
5) Facial droop
Clinical Presentation of Lateral Medullary Infarct occlusion of PICA (brainstem)
1) ipsilateral horner’s syndrome
2) Vomiting
3) Vertigo (environment or you are spinning)
4) Cerebellar signs
5) Facial numbness
What is Horner’s syndrome characterised by?
classic triad of miosis (ie, constricted pupil), partial ptosis, and loss of hemifacial sweating (ie, anhidrosis).
Miosis
Ptosis
Anhidrosis
STROKE
tests?
ACT FAST
- CT/MRI
- ECG for MI/AF
- CXR FOR LVH
STROKE
Posterior circulating stroke features?
- Vomit/vertigo/nausea
- Dysarthria/ speech impairment
- motor deficit
- locked in
- visual disturbances
STROKE
Acute treatment? within 1 hour
- protect airway
- check pulse, BP, ECG
STROKE
Within 4.5 hours?
thrombolysis (IV alteplase)
STROKE
how should a patient by hydrated?
IV so no choking.
food assistance and TED stockinga
STROKE
Primary prevention?
- Reduce Risk Factors
statins, smoking, DM, HTN, exercise
STROKE
Secondary prevention
- Antiplatelet (clopidogrel)
+ Aspirin
+ AF/BP treatment - Warfarin if cause was AF
TRANSIENT ISCHAEMIC ATTACK (TIA)
Cause?
1) microemboli- which then lyse, from atheromas or thrombus
2) Temporary decrease in cerebral perfusion
TRANSIENT ISCHAEMIC ATTACK (TIA)
Risk Factors?
- HTN
- DM
- Smoking
- Hyperlipidaemia
- Obesity
- High alcohol
TRANSIENT ISCHAEMIC ATTACK (TIA)
What is the definition?
- Sudden onset focal neurological deficit with symptoms that are maximal at onset and usually resolve within 15 minutes
TRANSIENT ISCHAEMIC ATTACK (TIA)
carotid Symptoms?
- Amaurosis Fugax (emboli in retinal artery)
- Aphasia (language impairment)
- Hemiparesis (one side weakness)
- Hemisensory loss
- Hemianopia visual loss
TRANSIENT ISCHAEMIC ATTACK (TIA)
Vertebrobasilar symptoms?
- Diplopia (double vision)
- Vertigo/ vomit
- Ataxia (lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements)
- tetraplegia
- Hemisensory loss
- choking and dysarthria (hard to speak)
- hemianopia visual loss
What is Amaurosis Fugax?
- progressive visual loss in one eye. ‘curtain descending’
TRANSIENT ISCHAEMIC ATTACK (TIA)
Investigation?
- FBC, ESR, Glucose, lipids, U+E
CXR
ECG
What is a ABCD2 score?
Determines time frame needed to investigate a stroke (score of 6+ means 35.5% of stroke in next week)
list the different reasons to get a point for the ABCD2 score?
- Age >60 = 1 point
- BP >140/90 = 1 point
- Unilateral weakness = 2 points
- speech problems + weakness = 1 point
- Duration >1 hour = 2 points <1 hour = 1 point
- diabetes = 1 point
What investigations need to be done for a high/low ABCD2 score?
high = MRI & carotid doppler ultrasound within 24 hours
low = same but within a week
treatment of TIA?
- control CVS risks
- Aspirin + Clopidogrel
- Carotid Endarterectomy if necessary within 2 weeks
SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE
What is it?
spontaneous bleeding in sub-arachnoid space and they account for 5% of all strokes
SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE
Aetiology?
- berry aneurysm rupture 70%
- arterio-venous malformations 15%
- idiopathic 15%
Common sites for berry aneurysms?
1) bifurcation of middle cerebral
2) Junction of posterior and internal carotid
3) Junction of anterior communicating and anterior cerebral
SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE
Symptoms?
- sudden onset of worst headache ‘ever’
- Vomit / nausea
- loss of conciousness
SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE
Signs
- Kernig’s (inability to straighten knee when hip flexed 90 degrees)
- Brudzinski’s- neck stiffness - flex neck and knee+hip flex too
SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE
Investigations?
CT (Blood in sulci)
if negative do LP 12hrs after
blood becomes yellow due to bilirubin and oxyhaemoglobin degradation ( Xanthochromia)
SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE
Treatment?
- bed rest + supportive care
- CCB’s and control of HTN
surgeon may be able to coil/ clip aneurysm
What is a subdural haemorrhage?
Bleeding from bridging veins between cortex and sinuses (below dura)
What is an extra-dural haemorrhage?
tear in dural venous sinus due to fractured temporal/parietal bone
How long do sub/extra dural haemorrhages take to develop? why do they take this long?
can take a very long time
1) pressure change is small
2) clot degrades
3) increased osmotic pressure - enlarges due to H20
investigation and treatment of sub/extra dural haemorrhages?
clot evacuation
CT shows haematoma
treatment - Surgery
INTRACEREBRAL STROKE
Types? and what is the percentage of intracerebral out of all strokes?
Hypertensive
Lobar
15% of all strokes
INTRACEREBRAL STROKE
Clinical features?
1) Loss o consciousness
2) Stroke features
3) severe headache
Cause of hypertensive bleed?
Charcot-Bouchard aneurysm due to longstanding HTN
Leaking due to microbleeds across the brain = bad prognosis
What are Lobar bleeds associated with?
dementia (B-amyloid deposition in vessel walls)
Features and location of hypertensive bleedas?
deep and small bleeds in the basal ganglia, pons and cerebellum
INTRACEREBRAL STROKE
Investigations?
ABC and CT of head
what is Hydrocephalus?
blood in ventricles and clots them off
small vessels become blocked so more ischaemia = immediate neurosurgery
INTRACEREBRAL STROKE
Treatment?
BP control
labetolol + GTN spray immediately
EPILEPSY
Different types of seizures?
generalised Tonic-Clonic Seizure Absence Seizure Myotonic/clonic Akinetic/Atonic Motor seizure temporal Frontal occipital parietal
Describe a generalised tonic-clonic seizure
1) Period of ridgity (tonic) followed by rhythmical jerks (clonic)
2) Then drowsy/coma for a few minutes
describe an absence seizure
Cessation of activity and staring for a few seconds
describe a Clonic seizure
Isolated muscle jerking
Describe a Tonic Seizure
Stiffness of body
Describe an Atonic Seizure
loss of moving = falling and loss of consciousness
What happens if a partial seizure becomes a generalised seizure?
still classes as partial
describe a motor seizure
Motor cortex - jerky movements to contralateral limbs of seizure
may be paralysis few hours later
What is the post-ictal state
After seizure headache, confusion, myalgia, weakness
Temporal Seizure effects?
visual/olfactory hallucinations.
Deja vu
Jemais vu - things feel unfamiliar
Frontal seizure effects?
speech/motor movement loss
EPILEPSY
Cause?
unknown
flashing lights possibly
EPILEPSY
Signs of EPILEPTIC?
- tongue bite
- cyanosis
- incontinence
- head turn
- less than 5 min
- drowsy and muscle pain
EPILEPSY
Signs of Syncope?
- Upright position, sweating and vomit before/after
EPILEPSY
Signs of NON-EPILEPTIC?
- eyes closed
- talking
- crying
- long duration
EPILEPSY
Investigations?
MRI and video EEG
EPILEPSY
Treatment of generalised TOnic-clonic?
Sodium Valproate or Lamitrigine
EPILEPSY
Treatment of PArtial?
Carbomazepine
EPILEPSY
Treatment of Absence?
same as GTC + ethosuximide
Sodium valproate or Lamitrigine + ethosuximide
EPILEPSY
treatment of tonic/ Myotonic/ Atonic
sodium valproate or Lamitrigine (avoid carbamazepine)
treatment of severe EPILEPSY?
surgery 1) lobe removal/ removal of problematic area
2) Vagal Nerve stimulation
How does carbamezapine work?
1) Blocks Na+ channels = decreased firing of neurones and glutamate
Side effects of Carbamezapine?
Nausea vomiting drowsy double vision dizziness
how does valproate work?
1) Blocks transmembrane Na+ -stabilises neuronal membranes
Side effects of valproate?
hepatotoxicity
hair loss
increased appetite
When should you avoid using Valproate?
pregnant and hepatic disease patients
DEMENTIA
What is the percentage change of someone to get dementia at the following ages :
> 65
80
100
5-10% >65
20%>80
70%>100
DEMENTIA
Aetiology?
- Alzheimer’s (65%)
- vascular (25%)
- lewy bodies (15-25%)
DEMENTIA
What is inevitable for someone with Down’s Syndrome?
Alzheimer’s disease
DEMENTIA
Clinical Features of Alzheimer’s?
1) Decrease in neurone number
2) neurofibrillary tangles
3) accumulation of B-amyloid plaques
DEMENTIA
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s?
INITAL = Memory loss over months/years
progressions
1) All aspects of cerebral function
2) Decrease in language
3) Intellect, verbal and memory loss
4) Agnosia (cant recognise things)
5) Visuospacial skills lost
DEMENTIA
General non cognitive symptoms?
- Aggression
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Agitation
- Apathy
DEMENTIA
tests?
MMSE
CT for young patient
Good history/ timeline required
bloods- FBC, thyroid, LFTs, B12/folate (exclude other causes)
DEMENTIA
treatment?
- Donepazil
- Rivastigmine
- SSRI’s (depression)
When is Vascular Dementia common and how is it characterised?
Common after strokes
characterised by periods of stability then sharp decline
what is Lewy Body Dementia?
- fluctuating cognition with variation of attention
Clinical features of Lewy Body Dementia?
- Hallucinations
2) Parkinson’s
3) Sleep problems
4) Depression - may not have memory loss early on!
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Types?
- relapsing-remitting
- primary Progressive (no Rx)
- Secondary progressive
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Epidemiology?
1/1000 F:M 3:1
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Risk factors?
- Epstein-barr Virus
- distance from equator
- low vitamin D
- Female
- Genetics
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
pathology?
1) Antigens against CNS made due to exposure to a similar antigen (e.g. EBV)
2) T-lymphocytes cause problems when they cause the blood-brain barrier
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Cause?
- Demyelination of oligodendrocytes and axonal damage
- Myelin recovers whereas the axons don’t
- Shorter gaps between the Nodes of Ranvier due to thin myelin = slow conduction
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Where is inflammation likely to be found?
Brain = Ventricles
Spinal Cord = Posterior column
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
clinical Features?
1) Optic neuritis
2) Pain
3) Spasticity
4) paraesthesia (pins and needles)
5) Bladder/sexual dysfunction
6) Nystagmus (involuntary eye movement)
7) vertigo
8) Diplopia (double vision)