Vascular Disease + Tumours Flashcards
What pressure is classified as raised intracranial pressure?
Over 200 mM
What are the different types of herniation that can occur as a result of RICP?
Subfalcine/cingulate= midline shift causing cingulate gyrus to pass under the falx cerebri Tonsillar= cerebellar tonsils through foramen magnum Uncal= uncus of temporal lobe moves across supratentorial notch Central/trans-tentorial = decent of diencephalon and BS i.e. can compress resp and CVS centres of BS
What are the complications associated with uncal herniation?
CNIII compression
-fixed dilated pupils (unilateral)
Compression of posterior cerebral artery
-leads to occipital lobe infarct which leads to occipital blindness
CNX compression
Midbrain/BS
-altered consciousness or coma
What are the cardinal signs of uncal herniation?
Acute loss of consciousness
Ipsilateral pupil dilation
Contralateral hemiparesis
What is the definition of a stroke?
Abrupt onset of neurological deficits lasting more than 24 hours that are attributable to focal vascular disease, where no other cause is apparent
What are the two broad classification of stroke? What are the 2 subtypes which come under these classifications? Give brief details.
Ischaemic -thrombotic Eg thrombus forms inside intracranial vessels (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) -embolic Eg Artherosclerotic plaque from CCA
Haemorrhagic
-intracerebral
Eg intraparenchymal or intraventricular vessel rupture
-subarachnoid
Eg rupture of cerebral arteries in subarachnoid space
What is global anoxia and which cells are most vulnerable?
What parts of the CNS can be affected?
Ischaemic changes due to circulatory collapse which leads to loss of neurones
Neurones more than glial cells due to being more vulnerable to ischaemic changes
Cerebral cortex= layer 3, 4 and 6
Hippocampus= CA1, CA3, CA4
Purkijne cells of cerebellum
What is watershed zone infarction and when does it occur?
Infarction in cerebral cortex which occurs at the boundaries of different arterial zones
With less severe hypoperfusion
What is an infarction and what are the possible causes?
Occlusion of artery leading to loss of blood supply and ischaemia
Causes:
- atherosclerosis
- Embolism
What are the 2 different origins of embolisms which can lead to an infarction? How can you differentiation between the 2?
Atheroma of extracranial arteries
- Bifurcation of carotid arteries
- origin of vertebral arteries
- ascending aorta
- arch of aorta
Cardiac:
-due to conditions which increase the risk of emboli formation:
Eg AF and endocarditis
Cardiac emboli will appear red due to subsequent bleeding
What are the risk factors associated with atherosclerosis? What other condition do these risk factors put you at risk of?
Cigarette smoke Hypertension DM Hyperlipoproteinaemia Obesity Increasing age Male sex Low HDL level
STOKE!!!
What are the consequences of an infarct in the internal capsule?
Capsular stroke
Genu of internal capsule can be damage (MOTOR)= corticobulbar tracts
- contains the UMN for CNV and CNVII
Eg contralateral loss of muscles of mastication and facial expression
Posterior limb of internal capsule (SENSORIMOTOR)= Corticospinal and thalamocortical projections
-loss of connection between ventral posterior nucleus and primary somatosensory cortex
Eg contralateral sensory loss
What is the possible precipitating event to venous infarction?
Sagittal sinus thrombosis
Eg clots can lead to para-sagittal infarcts
What are the different risk factors associated with intracerebral haemorrhage?
Hypertension Smoking Aneurysm Arterio-venous malformation Amyloid angiopathy Tumour Trauma
What are the 4 broad types of intra-cranial haemorrhage? What causes them and what are their characteristic features?
Epidural:
-MMA i.e. trauma at pterion
-Features:
Initial loss of consciousness followed by lucid period and then rapid deterioration
Lentiform on CT which doesn’t cross suture lines
Subdural:
-bridging veins
-Features:
Symptoms follow weeks after injury i.e. headache/dizziness/confusion/LOC
Cresentric on CT which does cross suture lines
Subarachnoid: -cerebral arteries in subarachnoid space -rupture of berry aneurysm: Anterior communicating a Internal carotid artery + MCA Basilar artery Cerebellar arteries
How can you differentiate between a ischaemic and haemorrhagic CVA on a CT scan? How does their treatment differ and why?
Ischaemic: -darker region visible due to ischaemia -loss of sulcal patter due to associated oedema TX -Anteplase (thrombolytic) w/i 3-4 hrs -thrombectomy
Haemorrhagic:
-white lesion
TX
-Craniotomy to release pressure and access bleed
-ventricle shunt to treat complication of hydrocephalus
NO THROMBOLYSIS i.e. will exaggerate the problem
What are features of normal brain histology?
6 layers of neocortex
Glial cells
Pyramid-shaped spinal motor nuclei with large nuclei
Ependymal Ciliated cells lining the ventricles
What are common sites for metastatic cerebral tumours to originate from?
Lung
Breast
Skin- malignant melanoma
Kidney
What is the difference in prognosis between diffuse astrocytic and other astrocytic tumours?
Diffuse have higher grade (around grade 4) meaning they have worse prognosis than other astrocytic tumours which are well circumcised (grade 1 )
What is used on addition to histology to grade CNS tumours?
Molecular parameters