UMN lesions vs LMN lesions Flashcards
What signs indicate UMN lesion?
- Increased tone
- Spasticity
- Weakness
- Brisk reflexes, upgoing Babinski
What signs indicate LMN lesion?
- Wasting and fasciculation
- Decreased tone
- Weakness
- Reduced reflexes
What are the potential causes of unilateral UMN lesions (pyramidal weakness)?
Brain → Cord
- Intracranial: stroke, SOL → hemisensory loss
- Brainstem: stroke, SOL → may be crossed signs
- Spinal cord: MS, infarct/haemorrhage, SOL, disc prolapse, trauma, syringomyelia, congenital → sensory level/segmental sensory loss
What are the potential causes of bilateral UMN lesions (pyramidal weakness)?
3 Ms
- MS
- Motor neurone disease → normal sensation
- Myelopathy: cord compression (e.g. due to cervical myelopathy, SOL, disc prolapse, paraspinal infection), trauma, transverse myelitis, syringomyelia, congenital → sensory level/segmental sensory loss
Others:
- Brainstem stroke
- Hereditary spastic paraplegia
- Cerebral palsy
- HTLV-1
- Syphilis
What are the features of radiculopathy?
Dermatomal sensory loss
What are the causes of radiculopathy?
- Disc herniation/ degenerative disc disease
- Spondylosis
- OA with osteophytes
What is the general feature of plexopathies?
Vast dermatomal sensory loss
What are the causes of brachial plexopathy?
- Brachial neuritis
- Trauma (dislocated shoulder)
- Congenital (Erb’s palsy, Klumpke’s)
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
- Neoplastic infiltration/compression
- Radiotherapy
What are the causes of lumbosacral plexopathy?
- Trauma
- Congenital
- Neoplastic infiltration/compression
- Radiotherapy
What are the potential causes of median nerve palsy?
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Distal radius fracture
- Penetrating forearm injuries
- Pronator teres syndrome
What are the potential causes of carpal tunnel syndrome?
- Idiopathic
- Pregnancy
- Obesity
- Local pressure
- Hypothyroidism
- Acromegaly
- Diabetes
What are the potential causes of ulnar nerve palsy?
- Compression at elbow/cubital tunnel
- Fractures
- Guyon’s canal/ulnar tunnel syndrome
What are the potential causes of radial nerve palsy?
- Trauma/compression at axilla (crutches, Saturday night palsy, stabbing)
- Fracture to mid-humerus
- Elbow fracture/dislocation/ganglion
What are the potential causes of axillary nerve palsy?
- Shoulder dislocation
- Fracture at surgical neck of humerus
What are the potential causes of common peroneal nerve palsy?
- Plaster cast compression
- Trauma