SANS 4 Flashcards
For which aspect of pain is the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) responsible?
- Psychosomatic
- Affective
- Somatosensory
- Neurogenic
- Nociceptive
A 14-year-old female presents with progressive difficulty writing. An MRI (figure) shows multiple nodular areas running along the cervical nerve roots and brachial plexus. Examination of her eyes also shows iris harmartomas. What is the most likely diagnosis?
- Ataxia-telangiectasia
- Neurofibromatosis-2
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Neurofibromatosis-1
- Von Hippel-Lindau
A 15 year-old male presents with severe low back pain. The pain responds poorly to acetaminophen but responds well to aspirin. CT demonstrates a 1.5 cm dense lytic lesion with a calcified nidus and circumferential sclerosis (figure). What is the diagnosis?
- Oteoblastoma
- Osteoid osteoma
- Hemangioma
- Osteochondroma
- Fibrous dysplasia
Compared to posterior surgery, what risk is associated with Anterior cervical surgery for OPLL?
- CSF leak
- OPLL growth
- Kyphosis
- C5 root palsy
- Shoulder girdle pain
A 48-year-old man who has been managed on a stable dose of intrathecal morphine presents with sudden onset altered mental status, sweating, severe pain, and diarrhea. His airway and breathing are stable. What is the best initial diagnostic workup at this point?
- Blood and urine cultures
- Assessment by the Gastroenterology service
- Assessment by the Addiction Medicine service
- Plain X-rays of the pump system
- Head CT
A 15-year-old presents with an incidental finding (figure). What is the most appropriate management strategy?
- Surgical resection of the mural nodule and entire cyst wall.
- Surgical resection of the mural nodule
- Drainage of the cyst to relieve mass effect.
- Surgical resection of the mural nodule with a 1 cm margin.
- Surgical resection of the mural nodule with biopsy proven, tumor positive, cyst wall
A 68 year-old man presents to the office with neck pain and right upper extremity paresthesias. He reports mild difficulty with buttoning his shirt and initiating micturition. He has decreased sensation in the right first and second digit and loss of the right biceps reflex. He also has mild loss of balance with tandem gait. His cervical spine MRI is depicted (Fig 1). What is the most appropriate management?
- Right C5-C6 transforaminal epidural injection
- Surgical decompression of the cervical spinal cord
- Electrodiagnostic studies (EMG/NCV) to assess for carpal tunnel syndrome
- Structured physical therapy with gait training
- Medrol dose pack and soft cervical collar for 6 months
What is the most likely vessel to make pathological contact with the glossopharyngeal nerve causing glossopharyngeal neuralgia?
- Posterior choroidal artery
- Posterior cerebral artery
- Basilar artery
- Posterior inferior cerebellar artery
- Superior cerebellar artery
A 39-year-old female presents with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Her angiogram is shown. What is the most likely diagnosis?
- Blister aneurysm
- Fusiform aneurysm
- Infundibulum
- Supraclinoid ICA dissection
- Saccular Aneurysm
According to the International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms (ISUIA), what is the risk of rupture of a cavernous carotid artery aneurysm (< 7 mm) in a patient with a history of previous aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage?
- 4%
- 3%
- 2%
- 1%
- 0%
Which vein is indicated by the arrow in the figure?
- Thalmostriate vein
- Basal vein of Rosenthal
- Vein of Trolard
- Internal Cerebral vein
- Vein of Galen
Which characteristic best distinguishes malignant from benign nerve sheath tumors?
- Cystic changes within the tumor
- Central T2 hypointensity (“target sign”) within the tumor
- Intensity of contrast enhancement in the tumor
- Extralesional T2 hyperintensity around the tumor
- Location of the tumor
A 40 year-old male presents with a 3-year history of uncontrollable writhing movement of all four extremities and recent memory decline. He has a family history of early-onset dementia and suicide in male relatives. MRI reveals atrophy of the caudate nucleus bilaterally. What developmental abnormality would you expect to find?
- Parkin gene mutation
- Chromosome 14-21 translocation
- Expanded GAA repeats
- FMR1 gene mutation
- Expanded CAG repeats
Approximately what percentage of cervical rotation occurs at the C1-2 level?
- 10%
- 25%
- 50%
- 75%
- 90%
Exploration of a peripheral nerve lesion reveals a traumatic neuroma-in-continuity. Which of the following intraoperative diagnostic modalities would be most useful in deciding whether to proceed with excision of the neuroma and perform a graft repair?
- High-resolution ultrasound
- Nerve action potential recordings
- Frozen section
- Electromyography
- Intraoperative MRI
Which of the following cerebrovascular pathologies exhibits early venous drainage on an angiogram?
- Capillary telangiectasia
- Amyloid angiopathy
- Cavernous angioma
- Arteriovenous Malformation
- Venous angioma
A 28-year-old male presents with acute onset facial asymmetry, diplopia, and hemifacial numbness. The patient’s MRI is shown. What is the molecular mechanism for disease pathogenesis?
- Mutation of BRAF V600 E
- Activation of ERK/MAPK signaling
- Activation of SMO signaling
- Activation of MEKK3 signaling
- Activation of AKT1 signaling
You are seeing a patient with neuropathic lower extremity pain. On examination, repetitive pinprick provokes increasingly severe burning pain on the dorsum of the foot. This phenomenon is called:
- Tinel sign
- Hyperpathia
- Mechanical hyperalgesia
- Paresthesia
- Allodynia
Stimulation in what peri-Sylvian region would most likely cause speech arrest during awake speech mapping?
- Gyrus supramarginalis
- Gyrus angularis
- Pars opercularis
- Pars orbitalis
- Pars triangularis
You are performing a radial to axillary nerve transfer for a patient who sustained a C5 nerve root avulsion injury 3 months previously. You have decided to utilize a posterior approach for this nerve transfer. What two muscles are separated to access the donor nerve?
- Biceps and pectoralis major
- Biceps and lateral head of triceps
- Deltoid and biceps
- Long and lateral heads of the triceps
- Biceps and brachioradialis
What molecular subgroup has the best prognosis in a child diagnosed with medulloblastoma?
- Wnt
- Large cell
- Group 4
- Group 3
- Sonic hedgehog (SHH)
Which of the following structures is BEST described as lateral to the hippocampal complex (hippocampus, subiculum and parahippocampal gyrus)?
- Posterior cerebral artery.
- Ambient cistern.
- Fusiform gyrus
- Brain stem.
- Oculomotor nerve.
What imaging finding of a sphenoid wing meningioma significantly diminishes the possibility of safe gross-total resection?
- Infratemporal fossa extension
- Tumor size
- Cerebral edema
- Cavernous sinus invasion
- Optic canal extension
What change in the intracranial pressure waveform is an early sign of elevated intracranial pressure?
- When P1 is higher than P2
- When P1 is higher than P3
- When P3 is higher than P1
- When P2 is higher than P3
- When P2 is higher than P1
An 18-year-old patient has sustained a gunshot wound through the mid thigh. At arrival to the emergency department, he is found to have intact pedal pulses but is unable to move his foot. The dorsum and sole of his foot have markedly decreased sensation. He can weakly flex his knee, although this is limited by pain. What is the most appropriate management of this suspected nerve injury?
- Emergent nerve exploration and possible repair.
- Nerve exploration and possible repair at 3 months if no recovery
- Nerve exploration and possible repair at 1 month if no recovery.
- Nerve exploration and possible repair at 1 year if no recovery.
- Emergent electrodiagnostic studies.
A 50-year-old woman diagnosed with Parkinson disease 10 years ago presents with increasingly frequent periods of involuntary writhing movements of her hands and arms. What is the most likely cause of her abnormal movements?
- Co-morbid Huntington disease
- Non-compliance with Parkinson medications
- Levodopa-induced dyskinesias
- Parkinson-plus syndrome
- Tardive dyskinesia from taking antipsychotic medications
Parkinsonian tremor can be diminished by high frequency stimulation of:
- Globus pallidus externa
- Dorsomedial thalamus
- ViM thalamus
- Cingulate bundle
- Subcaudate white matter
Which one of the following is an absolute contraindication for administration of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for acute cerebral infarction?
- History of aneurysm clipping six months prior to stroke onset.
- Seizure at the onset of stroke symptoms.
- Warfarin use with INR 1.3.
- Platelet count of 80,000
- Abdominal surgery six weeks prior to stroke onset.
This brain micrograph of a 68 yo male nursing home resident who had a vague history of dementia and relatively rapid decline shows which of the following?
- Acute traumatic brain injury
- Chronic Traumatic
Encephalopathy - Subacute brain degeneration
- Pick’s Disease
- Jakob-Creutzfeldt Disease
A patient with a history of left trigeminal neuralgia has undergone a percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy, which gave her 2 years of pain relief. This was followed by stereotactic radiosurgery of the trigeminal nerve root, resulting in absence of her lancinating pain. She now has new left facial pain that is constant and aching. On examination, her left face is anesthetic to light touch and pinprick. What is her diagnosis?
- Type 2 trigeminal neuralgia
- Symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia
- Trigeminal deafferentation pain
- Anesthesia dolorosa
- Trigeminal neuropathic pain
According to randomized control trials of hemicraniectomy for malignant MCA infarction, what is the time frame for the performance of hemicraniectomy associated with reduced mortality?
- 12 hours
- 24 hours
- 48 hours
- 3 hours
- 6 hours
The MOST common clinical feature of mesial temporal lobe seizures is:
- Ictal oral automatisms
- Ictal bicycling movements.
- Ipsilateral dystonic posturing.
- Visual auras.
A 2-month-old full-term previously healthy male presents with obstructive hydrocephalus due to an extensive hemorrhagic posterior fossa mass involving both cerebellar hemispheres and the vermis. Genetic analysis of a biopsy reveals a SMARCB1 / INI deletion in the long arm of chromosome 22 (22q11.2). What is the most likely diagnosis?
- WHO grade III ependymoma
- Immature teratoma
- Medulloblastoma
- Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT)
- Choroid plexus papilloma (CPP)
A 6 year-old girl presents with progressive scoliosis. Physical examination reveals a club foot and a midline hairy nevus in the lumbar region. MRI is shown (Figure 1). What is the most likely diagnosis?
- Myelomeningocele
- Dermal sinus tract
- Neurenteric cyst
- Diastematomyelia
- Lipomyelomeningocele
Which of the following analgesics works by binding to spinal cord vanilloid (TRVP1) receptors, thus causing prolonged depolarization and defunctionalization of the pain pathways?
- Bupivacaine
- Ibuprofen
- Fentanyl
- Ziconotide
- Capsaicin
After a type II odontoid fracture, the function of which ligament/membrane most strongly influences treatment options:
- interspinous
- transverse
- apical
- anterior longitudinal
- alar
According to the International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms, what is the 5 year cumulative rupture rate of a 10 mm posterior communicating aneurysm?:
- 4.5%
- 9.5%
- 0%
- 19.5%
- 14.5%
After invasive grid monitoring and mapping of eloquent cortex, surgical resection is recommended for a 19-year-old man with drug-resistant epilepsy. The patient’s seizures involve speech arrest with tonic posturing of the upper extremities in a “fencing posture”. Where is the likely seizure focus?
- Primary motor cortex
- Lateral temporal lobe
- Primary sensory cortex
- Mesial temporal lobe
- Supplementary motor area
A 19 year-old man presents after a helmeted ATV accident. On examination the patient is neurologically intact. He denies any midline tenderness. Trauma survey and labs are normal. What imaging test should be ordered before clearing his collar.
- Cervical MRI
- Cervical CT Scan
- Cervical X-ray
- Cervical CTA
- No imaging.
A 7-year-old child with a two week history of difficulty walking, dysarthric speech and facial weakness has the MRI shown in the figure. What is the most appropriate initial treatment?
- Surgical debulking.
- Gamma-knife.
- Chemotherapy.
- Whole-brain radiation.
- Conformal radiotherapy
An 8 year-old child with a history of myelomeningocele presents with progressive back pain, scoliosis, right calf numbness, right leg weakness, incontinence, and bladder spasticity. Which of her symptoms is most likely to improve following a third untethering procedure?
- Leg numbness
- Leg weakness
- Scoliosis
- Bladder spasticity
- Back pain
For which spinal disorder are children of mothers with diabetes mellitus at risk?
- Intraspinal lipomas
- Meningocele manque
- Spinal dysraphism
- Thoracic hemivertebrae
- Sacral agenesis
A 45-year-old woman is referred with complaints of debilitating paroxysmal, lancinating pain involving the deep aspect of the left ear canal. Her neurological examination is normal. A CT scan of the brain and skull base along with an MRI of the brain are both normal. She has failed medical management of her condition. Which of the following represents the BEST surgical treatment option?
- Removal of the styloid process
- Microvascular decompression of the trigeminal nerve
- Intradural rhizotomy of the 9th and upper 1/3 of the 10th cranial nerves
- Intradural section of the nervus intermedius
- Nucleus caudalis DREZ ablation
Which genetic or chromosomal alteration is associated with primary adult glioblastoma?
- Wnt signaling pathway mutations
- TP53 and ATRX mutations
- SMARCB1/INI1 mutation or deletion
- 1p19q chromosomal deletion
- EGFR and CDNK2A/CDNK2B mutations
A 55 year old woman developed a severe headache, acute vision loss, and bilateral ptosis. Examination also reveals complete ophthalmoplegia of both eyes. What is the most likely diagnosis?
- Myasthenic crisis.
- Pituitary apoplexy
- Complicated migraine.
- Kearns-Sayre syndrome.
- PCOM aneurysm.
A 50-year-old male patient with a history of atrial fibrillation presents with acute onset left hemiparesis and drowsiness for 24 hours. MRI of the brain is shown. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score is 16. What treatment option has been shown to decrease mortality rates for such a patient?
- Intra-arterial tPA
- External ventricular drainage
- Medical management only
- Mechanical thrombectomy
- Decompressive hemicraniectomy
You are called to the NICU to see a 1 day old child who appears as demonstrated in figures 1 and 3. His CT scan is shown in figure 2. He has been stable, although with occasional apnea when agitated. On exam, he has a bulging fontanelle. His parents wish to pursue aggressive care. When should he undergo a cranial vault procedure?
- At 12 months of age.
- At 6 months of age.
- At 18 months of age.
- At 24 months of age.
- In the next several days
You are operating on a patient with neurofibromatosis-1 that you suspect has a benign neurofibroma of the sciatic nerve, and have performed the initial exposure of the lesion, shown in the figure. What is the most appropriate maneuver at this point?
- Biopsy the lesion for frozen and permanent sections and close
- Perform direct nerve stimulation to identify a safe zone to incise
- Perform an internal debulking of lesion
- Perform en bloc excision of the tumor, nerve, and surrounding muscle
- Excise the lesion and perform a graft repair of the nerve
Mutation of which of the following genes has been linked to cerebral amyloid angiopathy?
- Endoglin
- KRIT-1
- Apoliporprotein E
- Tau
- Presenilin (PS)
What is the most common location of cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas?
- Superior sagital sinus
- Inferior sagital sinus
- Transverse sinus
- Straight sinus
- Posterior cavernous sinus
A pineal mass was completely resected and the pathologist diagnoses a mature teratoma. What is the best treatment for this patient?
- Fractionated local radiation therapy
- Craniospinal irradiation
- Chemotherapy
- Radiosurgery to the resection cavity
- Observation
A patient treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) for generalized dystonia presents to your clinic 1 month after DBS with complaints that it is not effective. What would be the most appropriate next step?
- Offer revision surgery
- Counsel patient
- Recommend genetic testing
- Recommendation implantation of additional leads
- Explant due to surgical failure
Orally administered baclofen may be useful in the treatment of the spasticity of cerebral palsy BECAUSE IT:
- Has little sedative effect compared with other medications.
- Weakens muscles by inhibiting the release of calcium from sarcoplasmic reticulum.
- Has a specific beneficial effect on dystonia.
- Increases nor-adrenergic inhibition in the spinal cord.
- Is a GABA agonist that inhibits presynaptic neurotransmitter release
A 58-year-old male dies from respiratory failure after battling a disease for 3 years. Microscopic examination of the spinal cord is shown below. Which disease lead to the death of patient?
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Spinal muscular bulbar atrophy (SMBA)
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
Approximately what percentage of patients experience favorable outcomes (Engel Class I) 3-5 years after temporal lobectomy for temporal lobe epilepsy?
- 70%
- 10%
- 90%
- 30%
- 50%
During a far lateral approach, exposure of what anatomic structure first indicates that more than the posterior one-third of the occipital condyle has been removed?
- The vertebral artery
- The anterior condylar vein
- Transverse ligament of atlas
- Jugular bulb
- The dentate ligament
Injury to the suprascapular nerve results in which of the following neurological deficits?
- Weakness of scapular rotation, weakness of scapular elevation
- Weakness of external shoulder rotation, numbness of lateral shoulder
- Weakness of shoulder abduction, weakness of external shoulder rotation
- Weakness of shoulder circumduction, numbness of posterior shoulder
- Weakness of internal shoulder rotation, numbness of anterior shoulder
A 29 year old female presents after a motor vehicle accident with left hemiplegia, weak localization on right, and a dilated unreactive right pupil. Her head CT is shown. What is the most appropriate surgical management?
- Craniotomy and hematoma evacuation
- Placement of ventriculostomy.
- Placement of brain tissue oxygenation and ICP probe.
- Temporal burr hole and hematoma drainage.
- Decompressive right hemicraniectomy.
What clinical finding best characterizes cauda equina syndrome?
- Decreased patellar tendon reflex
- Foot drop
- Sciatica
- Ankle plantar flexion weakness
- Saddle anesthesia
Which calcium channel blocker has been demonstrated to improve outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage?
- Oral Felodipine
- IV Felodipine
- Oral nimodipine
- Oral verapamil
- IV diltiazem
A 37-year-old female with long-standing epilepsy despite anti-epileptic medications and prior epilepsy surgery, reports to her physician that she has been seizure-free for 12 months. What is the most likely psychosocial pressure motivating the patient to report that she has been seizure-free for a 12-month period?
- Holding an active driver’s license
- Commuting via public transportation
- Living independently
- Full-time employment
- Financial independence
What is the best method to screen for cervical spine injury in the unconscious, intubated multitrauma patient?
- C-Spine MRI
- Dynamic traction fluoroscopy
- Fluoroscopic Flexion/Extension Imaging
- A/P, Lateral, Oblique, and Open Mouth Odontoid radiographs
- C-spine CT
A 64-year old woman with multiple comorbidities undergoes emergent craniotomy after a fall. On post-operative day 4, she develops worsening tachypnea, tachycardia, hypotension, and fever of 101.5°F. Chest X-ray shows a new opacity in the right lower lobe. Bronchoscopy reveals thick, purulent secretions. What is the most appropriate next step in management?
- Rifampin
- Await culture results prior to antibiotics
- Daptomycin
- Broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy
- Vancomycin
What is the most likely mechanism underlying an intracranial hemorrhage associated with an intracranial dural fistula?
- Brain edema
- Increased intracranial pressure
- Arterial aneurysm rupture
- Hyperemia
- Venous hypertension
What is the mortality rate of a MCA infarction with malignant cerebral edema managed with intensive non-operative care?
- 20%
- 40%
- 0%
- 80%
- 60%
A 76 year-old man presents with worsening back pain unresponsive to conservative measures. 36-inch radiographs were performed at his office visit (Figure 1). What Schwab grade osteotomy (Figure 2) will provide the best correction of his sagittal plane deformity over one segment?
- Grade 4
- Grade 5
- Grade 1
- Grade 3
- Grade 2
A 75-year-old woman presents 3 months after resection of a frontal meningioma with complaints of headache, low grade fevers, and a tender fluctuance under her previous created craniotomy flap. A contrast-enhanced computed tomograpic scan of her head is shown in the figure. What is the most common organism for a post-surgical infection after elective craniotomy?
- Enterococcus sp
- E. Coli
- Streptococcus
- Propionibacterium acnes
- Staph. aureus
A 27-year-old pregnant female presents to the ER with acute confusion, headaches and blurry vision. While in the ER she is found to have acute fetal distress and a blood pressure of 210mmHg/110mmHg. After expedited delivery of the baby, a CT is performed, revealing patchy areas of hypodensity in the posterior parietal and occipital lobes. An MRI is shown (figure). Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
- Acute infarction of the posterior cerebral arteries
- Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES)
- Infiltrating neoplasm
- Demyelination, likely multiple sclerosis
- Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
A 22-year-old sustained a spinal cord injury after a fall with an L2 burst fracture and canal compromise. More than half of the muscles below the level of injury have astrength grade less than 3. There is impaired pain and temperature sensation below the middle of the thighs bilaterally, but preserved light touch and proprioception. There is bilateral Babinski sign and loss of anal tone and wink reflex. According to the 2000/2002 ASIA Standards, what (modified) ASIA Impairment Scale classification is this patient?
- D
- A
- C
- B
- E
A 54 year-old man presents with biopsy-proven esthesioneuroblastoma has a normal neurological exam. MRI shows involvement of the right nasal cavity with minimal intracranial extension through the cribriform plate (Figure 1). There is no cervical adenopathy or evidence of metastatic disease. Which of the following is the best management strategy for this patient?
- Chemotherapy alone
- Surgical resection followed by conformal radiation therapy to the tumor bed
- Surgical resection followed by conformal radiation therapy to the tumor bed and systemic chemotherapy
- Neo-adjuvant radiation therapy followed by chemotherapy
- Surgical resection
Aside from bilateral ICA occlusions, what is a typical angiographic finding in moyamoya disease?
- Fetal posterior cerebral artery
- Diffuse hypertrophy of the lenticulostriate arteries
- Persistent fetal trigeminal artery
- Duplication of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery
- Bilateral giant internal carotid artery aneurysms
A patient with a severe closed head injury exhibits a decreasing serum sodium over a 48 hour period to 125 mEq/l. Serum osmolality is diminished, urine sodium is elevated. What parameter is critical to understand in the ensuing management of this patient?
- Circulating blood volume
- Urine Osmolality
- Hematocrit
- Blood pressure
- Serum potassium
Following resection of a frontal supplementary motor area (SMA) cortex tumor, the patient develops impaired speech fluency. What pathway connects the inferior frontal lobe with the SMA?
- Frontal aslant tract
- Arcuate fasciculus
- Superior longitudinal fasciculus II
- Superior longitudinal fasciculus III
- Uncinate fasciculus
What lateral plain film measurements of the cervical spine is used to make the diagnosis of atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD)?
- Mcgregor’s line
- Chamberlain’s line
- Combined C1 Lateral mass displacement
- Atlanto-dens interval
- Basion-posterior axial line and basion-dens interval
Which of the following is the first line treatment for craniocervical dystonia (excluding oromandibular)?
- Selective dorsal rhizotomy
- Intrathecal baclofen
- Deep brain stimulation
- Botulinum toxin
- Selective peripheral denervation
Which of the following is a characteristic of primary generalized dystonia?
- The presence of bradykinesia
- The involvement of a single body part
- The presence of a distinct underlying neuropathology
- The presence of familial predisposition
- The presence of developmental delay
You are referred a patient who developed severe leg pain, redness, and swelling after undergoing an open reduction and internal fixation of a tibial fracture. What diagnostic test would be most useful in distinguishing complex regional pain syndrome type 1 from type 2?
- Lumbar sympathetic block
- Three phase bone scan of the whole body
- Plain radiographs at the site of the fracture
- Neuropsychological testing
- Electrodiagnostic studies of the lower extremities
A 21 year-old man was admitted following a motorcycle crash with diffuse axonal injury. An ICP monitor and brain tissue oxygenation monitor are placed. After 24 hours, his brain partial pressure of oxygen decreases from 20mmHg to 10mmHg. What threshold for treatment of brain hypoxia is recommended by the most recent Brain Trauma Foundation Guidelines (4th edition)?
- There is no recommended threshold for treatment
- 10 mmHg
- 20mmHg
- 25 mmHg
- 15 mmHg
A 60-year-old generally healthy man with Parkinson disease (PD) is considering undergoing deep brain stimulation electrode implantation. He was diagnosed with PD 8 years ago and responded extremely well to levodopa therapy initially. Last year, he began to develop levodopa-related dyskinesias. Which of the following factors is most predictive of his response to deep brain stimulation?
- Duration of disease
- Lack of medical comorbidities
- Levodopa responsiveness
- Age
- Development of levodopa-induced dyskinesias
A 30 year old male with history of IV drug use presents to the ER with fever and low back pain. His MRI demonstrates a small sacral epidural abscess. He has blood cultures positive for methicillin resistant staph aureus. His erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) on presentation is elevated at 110 mm/ hr. He is neurologically intact. He is to undergo 8 weeks of vancomycin IV. What is the most appropriate test for determining that his sacral epidural abscess has resolved at the conclusion of antibiotic therapy?
- Repeat MRI with and without contrast
- CT guided biopsy
- Repeat blood culture
- Repeat ESR
- Bone scan
What is the next appropriate step in management following resection of an epidermoid tumor?
- Prophylactic antibiotics
- Intracystic chemotherapy
- Brachytherapy
- Fractionated radiotherapy
- Radiographic surveillance