Disorders Of The Central Nervous System Flashcards
Definition of a myelopathy
Clinical symptoms related to spinal cord dysfunction such as motor and sensory changes and bowel and bladder dysfunction
An injury to the spinal cord due to severe compression that may result from trauma, congenital stenosis, degenerative disease or disc herniation
Symptoms of spinal cord injury
Loss of movement
Loss of sensation, inc hot, cold or touch
Loss of bowel or bladder control
Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms
Changes to sexual function, sexual sensitivity and fertility and neuropathic pain
Difficulty breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from lungs
Commons causes of spinal cord injury
Car accidents - 35% new injuries a year
Falls - after 65yrs old most common cause
Violence - 15%
Sports/recreation 9%
Alcohol 1/4
Diseases - cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, inflammation
Symptoms of hemi-section of the cord, brown-Sequard syndrome
Loss of pain temperature and light touch on opposite side
Loss of motor function and vibration, position and deep touch sensation on same side as the cord damage
Causes of hemi-section of the cord brown-sequard syndrome
Extra-medullary tumour causing lateral compression
Trauma
Central cord lesion Symptoms
Loss of motor function upper extremities
Incomplete loss of motor function below
What is syringomyelia
Neurological disorder in which a fluid-filled cyst forms within the spinal cord
Can get big enough to:
Damage cord
Compress and injure nerves
Causes of central cord lesion
Tumour
Infarct
Syringomyelia
Types of intercranial space occupying lesions
Mass +
Brain tumours
Hematoma acute/chronic
Brain parasites
Granuloma/tuberculoma
Cysts and syringomyelia
Effects of intracranial space occupying lesions
Perifocal inflammation
Brain swelling
Brain herniation
Hydrocephalus
Epileptic fits
Loss of function
Types/causes of space occupying lesions
tumours
abscesses
haematoma
