volume 1 Flashcards
What headache types are considered primary
migraine, tension-type, cluster
What headache types are considered secondary
- medication overuse
2. intracranial pathology - ie IIH, pseudotumor cerebri, CHiari, meningitis
Is trigeminal neuralgia common in children
no
What are two differences between childhood and adult migraine?
in children, less likely to be unilaterall and shorter in duration
Please name 5 red flags for increased ICP as the cause of headache
chronic progressive headaches may indicated increased ICP
1. new headache, change in pattern
2. very severe that wakes from sleep
3. worse in the morning
4. worse with coughing and straining
5. nausea or vomiting
always do fundoscopy in patients with headache
(distinguish between chronic progressive (more worrisome) and chronic non progressive
What are two causes of chronic non progressive headaches
- chronic tension-type headache
- chronic daily migraine
- stress
- medication overuse
What questions should you ask for a headache history
number and type location character duration frequency aura photo/phonophobia nausea/vomigin alleviating factors -ie sleep exacerbating factors -dehydration, skipping meals caffeing intake ** exercise frequency, sleep schedule, medication use, relationship to menses, family history
A child has been having daily headaches for the past 7 months, they have not gotten worse, there are no red flags. the neuro exam including fundoscopy and blood pressure are normal. The 10 year olds mother has migraines. Do you image them?
Oski says - >6 month history of headaches with normal neuro exam including fundoscopy and blood pressure, and positive family history of migraine (no indication to image)->i.e. you can treat as migraine
Please name 3 migraine variants in children
- cyclical vomiting
- abdominal migraine
- benign paroxysmal verigo
Please describe treatment of migraine
- lifestyle factors - i.e. sleep, caffeine, meds, hydration etc - start by addressing those
- abortive therapies - NSAIDS (ibuprofen or naproxen) or a triptan (nasal sumatriptan) **hoever triptans NOT approved for children < 17 years, and may interact with SSRIS
- prophylactic treatment; consider if frequent and disruptive (not easily treated or missing school), consider the following options:
- young children : cyproheptadine
- teenagers : amitriptyline
- overweight : topiramate
- boys without weight issues or with mood problems - >valproic acid at bedtime
- beta blockers and calcium channel blockers can also be used in children
Please name 5 signs of cerebellar dysfunction
- truncal ataxia - i.e. wide-based gait - when severe can include head bobbing (aka titubation)
- dysmetria -
- nystagmus
- vertigo
- scanning speech - (words separated into syllables)
**watch for CN involvement - could suggest schema in the posterior circulation of the brain (off the vertebral arteries)
time course impotent - acute vs gradual, episodic vs continuous
A child presents with acute onset ataxia. What is your differential?
acute onset:
intoxication - ie phenytoin overdose
infection - ie bartonella
post infectious - i.e. toddler with recent URTI, before lots after VZV infection
post vaccination
Demyelinating events:
- ADEM, childhood MS, Miller-Fisher variant of GBS (should have associated eye movement abnormalities and areflexia)
migraine (vestibular migraine can present with ataxia and vertigo, not always associated with headache
A child presents with subacute onset ataxia, what is your differential?
- cerebella hemorrhage or ischemic stroke
- encephalitis
- acute labyrinthitis (vestibular neuritis)
- posterior fossa tumours
- paraneoplastic - opsoclonus-myoclonus with multidirectional chaotic eye movements
A child presents with chronic and progressive ataxia. Differential/
- Developmental defects
- tumours
- paraneoplastic
- Genetic aetiologies:
- spinocerebellar ataxias
- Friedreicha ataxia
- Ataxia telangiectasia
What are causes of recurrent ataxia?
- Episodic ataxias (EA1 and EA2 with AD inheritance)
- metabolic disorders:
- mitochondrial, Hartnup disease (affects absorption of tryptophan), urea cycle defects, maple syrup urine disease (intermittent forms)
Which type of imaging is bet to look at posterior fossa lesions?
MRI is better for posterior fossa lesions or demyelination
CT is a good primary study to rule out hemorrhage
for ataxia may consider also doing a tox screen, LP if infectious consideration
What is the typical age of onset for tics?
typical age of onset around 7 years old often wax and wane worse with stress and fatigue some kids will have a premonitory sensation (i.e. sense of an "itch" relieved by tic) involuntary
What are two common co-morbidities of tic disorders?
OCD
ADHD
How long does someone need to have a motor or vocal tic to be considered chronic?
> 1 year
What is the criteria to diagnose Tourette’s
- combo of motor (i.e. blinking, shrugging shoulders) and vocal (grunting coughing) tics
- onset before age 18
- at least 1 year in duration
- causing distress or impairment in functioning
What are two first line treatments for tic disorders?
treat if physical discomfort or psychosocial distress.
1st line: clonidine or guanfacine
2nd line: haloperidol, pimozide
How many cases of tic disorders will remit or be substantially better by adulthood?
2/3
1/3 will persist
Which has a earlier age of onset, stereotypes or tics?
stereotypes earlier onset (ie hand flapping) MORE when child is relaxed or engrossed associated with autism - also seen in normal children reassure the parents
What is spasmus nutans?
odd head positions, head bobbing and nystagmus
benign self-limited condition during infancy
should do brain imaging to rule out optic pathway and thalamic gliomas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0RjK2aMSwU
Are tremors at rest common in children?
nope, tremors at rest are rare in children
need to distinguish between tremor at rest and action tremor
Name two meds that can cause a tremor
valproic acid
lithium
cause enhanced physiologic tremor
What is the inheritance pattern of familial essential tremor?
autosomal dominant
worsens with age
alcohol improves it for some
usually don’t treat till adulthood (with beta-blocker such as propanolol) as long as they can write and feel themselves
Please name 5 causes of chorea
- kernicterus
- juvenile huntington disease
- choreoathetoid CP
- Wilson disease
chorea, random movements that flow with each other
can occur with athetosis (twisting/writhing movements of the distal extremities)
What are some treatment options for chorea and how do they work?
mechanism: increased GABA or block dopaminergic signalling
valproic acid, carbamazepine, diazepam, haloperidol
What are 3 potential neurological side effects of atypical neuroleptics?
- tadive dyskinesia - after prolonged use, involuntary mouth movements (including tongue)
- withdrawal dyskinesias from abrupt withdrawal
- akathisia - urge to move constantly
A child presents with random movements that flow into one another. They have a recent history of sore throat and fever. What is the likely diagnosis?
Sydenham chorea - immune mediated response following group A strep infection
one of the major criteria of acute rheumatic fever
if suspect it, send ASO tiger and DNase B
Treatment: penicillin, steroids may hasten recovery (CPS statement on this, use that for treatment answer etc)
What are 2 imaging findings of head imaging in Tuberous sclerosis ?
- calcifications adjacent to the walls of the lateral and third ventricles (CT best)
- multiple gliotic nodules - hamartomas
can also get tumours, which complicate the picture**note from Zitellli, combined sources
presenting factor - most common is seizures (i.e. infantile spasms)
other findings: ash leaf spots, fibromas, shagreen patch , adenoma sebaceous
Causes of pseudo tumour cerebra
treatment
Causes: - Medications: topical retinoic acid, tetracycline, OCP, steroids, nitrofurantoin, high vitamin A - Obesity - Hyperthyroid, hypoparathyroid, Cushing - Thrombosis - OM, with thrombosis Treatment 1. remove the drug 2. lose weight 3. acetazolamide/topamax 4. serial LP
Factors that increase the chance of being seizure free from absence seizures?
- no generalized tonic-clonic
- developmentally normal
- normal neuro exam
- no family history of seizures
- normal EEG
- Young child with failure to thrive, delayed speech, voracious appetite, hugs you on first visit:
Diencephalic syndrome Emaciation Euphoria Emesis **PREP question
What are causes of megalencephaly
megalencephaly - increase in brain substance Causes: 1. Soto syndrome 2. achondroplasia 3. neurocutaneous syndromes 4. lipidoses 5. leukodystrophies 6. mucopolysaccharidoses
What are the different causes of macrocephaly?
macrocephaly > 2 SD of the mean for age gender and gestation
DDx:
hydrocephalus
mass
thickening or enlargement of the skull (primary skeletal dysplasia)
true increase in brain substance (megalencephaly)
**see chart pg 597 Zitelli
What are the cardinal manifestations of brainstem glioma?
cranial nerve palsies
contralateral hemiplegia
ataxia
increased ICP is NOT AN EARLY FEATURE
What is the major identifiable cause of infantile spasms
Tuberous sclerosis is the major single/identifiable cause of infantile spasms, 7-25% of cases
EEG: hysarrhythmia, burst suppression in sleep
What is the most common cause of chorea in children
Sydenham chorea, weeks-months after strep infection, also have emotional lability and hypotonia, can have effect on school
recurrences may be triggered by new episodes of streptococcal infection, pregnancy or OCP
Other less common causes: wilson disease, Huntington disease, SLE and hyperthyroidism
name 6 factors that can contribute to neural tube defects
hyperthermia, drugs (valproic acid), malnutrition, chemicals, maternal obesity or diabetes, genetic determinants can adversely affect CNS development
abnormal maternal nutrition or exposure to radiation
When does the neural tube close
between 3rd and 4th week of development (rostral, day 23, caudal day 27)
nervous system originates fom ectoderm (which also makes the skin)
fist, open at both ends, then closes outwards (for a bit, it is open to the amniotic cavity)
What are two biochemical markers of an open neural tube
- alpha fetoprotein
- acetyl cholinesterase
prenatal screening of maternal serum for AFP in the 16th-18th week is an effective method to ID pregnancies at risk of fetuses with neural tube defects
True or false - most patients with spin bifida occult are asymptomatic
true - common anomaly of mideline defect of vertebral bodies, without protrusion of the spinal cord or meninges, normal spinal cord
What are some manifestations of occult spinal dysraphism?
cutaneous manifestations:
hemangioma, discolouration of the skin, pit, lump, dermal sinus or hairy patch
occult spinal dysraphism is a clinically more significant form of spin bifid a occulta. no abnormality of meninges, spinal cord or nerve roots . defect in closure of the posterior vertebral arches and lamina at L5-S1
associated with: syringomyelia, riastematomyelia and tethered cord
What is a meningocele
when the meninges herniate through a defect in the posterior vertebral arches
usually NORMAL spinal cord (can have tethering, syringomyelia or diastemetaomelia)
fluctuant midline mass that might transilluminate
most are well covered
What is the best test to investigate occult spinal dysraphism? (i.e. a child has a hair patch at the base of the spine)
- best test MRI
2. initial test in neonate - US
A patient is found to have a meningocele and is being prepared for surgical correction. What are steps in your investigation?
most are well covered, no immediate threat
complete neurological exam very important
if kids are asymptomatic, sometimes can delay or not perform repair
Exams: X ray, US and MRI to look at neural tissue involvement
Urology - CMG - to look for neurogenic bladder
CT/MRI head: association with hydrocephalus in some cases
What are indications for immediate surgery in meningocele?
- leaking CSF
- thin skin covering
to prevent meningitis
What are the symptoms of an anterior meningocele?
projects into pelvis
1. constipation
2. bladder dysfunction
female patients->may have associated anomalies of the genital tract - rectovaginal fistula, vaginal septa
Which is the most severe form of spinal dysraphism?
Myelominingocele
1/4000 births
open form, includes the vertebral column and spinal cord
A mother of your patient with myelomeningocele is considering getting pregnant again. What is her chance of having another child with myelomeningocele?
3-4% after one affected child
10% with 2 prior affected children
**genetic predisposition exists
epidemiologic evidence and presence of family hx of anencephaly, myelomeningocele and cranioachischisis indicate heredity
How much does taking folic acid reduce the incidence of NTDs?
by at least 50% (CPS says 60-70% old statement)
should take folic acid before conception and continue until at least the 12th week of gestation, when neurulation is complete
When is the neural tube done forming?
12th week - neurulation is complete, so need to take folic acid until at least then
dose is 0.4 mg folic acid daily