Exam 4-Neuro Flashcards
(115 cards)
STROKE
Etiology: blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood in the spaces surrounding brain cells.
Manifestations:
- Sudden onset of weakness or numbness on one side of the body.
- Sudden speech difficulty or confusion.
- Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden onset of dizziness, trouble walking or loss of balance.
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.
Pathophysiology: brain cells die because they don’t get enough oxygen and nutrients;
HYPERNATERMIA
occurs when serum sodium levels exceed 145mEq/L.
Risk Factors: advanced age, AMS, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, uncontrolled DM.
Infants with severe diarrhea are at risk for?
hypernatermia
HYPONATREMIA
occurs when serum sodium levels are less than 135 mEq/L.
-usually due to inappropriate secretion of ADH leading to SIADH or cerebral salt wasting syndrome ( CSWS).
**most common electrolyte d/o with increased morbidity and mortality
When sodium is too low in blood, extra water goes into body cells and causes swelling which can be dangerous to brain cells because
it can results in neurological symptoms such as headache, confusion, irritability, seizures, or coma
PARTIAL (aka focal) SEIZURES
- can impair consciousness or not impair it
- may or may not include motor activity
- -aura: ex: lip smacking, chewing, smells, rapid eye blinking
- clinical finding may be subtle
GENERALIZED SEIZURES
- can be motor or nonmotor (absence seizures; can happen multiple times a day)
- sudden LOC
- tonic clonic, clonic (twitching), tonic (stiff), atonic (no muscle tone-just fall to ground), or myoclonic (sudden rapid muscle contractions-very fast; happen in morning and usually d/t no sleep)
- mental status impairment
- possible focal neurological deficits
TENSION TYPE HEADACHE (TTP)
- BILATERAL pain distribution (band, pressure); gradual onset; more common in WOMEN
- genetic disposition; may be episodic or chronic
- more localized pain and tenderness of pericranial muscles; last 30 min-week
cause: trigeminal hypersensitivity (central); myofacial afferent sensitivity (peripheral); usually exacerrabated by stress and fatigue - most common type of headache
Txt: caffeine and relaxation ; NSAIDs and chronic pain can be treated with amitriptyline and tricyclic antidepressants
CLUSTER HEADACHE
- group of disorders-headache for several days followed by remission
- usually in MALES 20-50 YR OLD
- EXCRUCIATING, STABBING PAIN UNILATERALLY BEHIND ONE EYE
- LAST 8-10 WEEKS PER YEAR; SAME TIME EVERY DAY 15 MIN TO 3 HOURS
- usually associated with autonomic symptoms on affected side: PTOSIS, MIOSIS, LACRIMATION, NASAL CONGESTION
-nasoactive peptides, neurogenic inflammation, pain activation
TXT: inhaled oxygen and sumatriptans
Ischemic stroke
blockage of a blood vessel supplying the brain
-can be caused by thrombus from atherosclerosis or can be embolic
Pathophysiology etiologies of AMS
- arousal (RAS) vs awareness
- structural changes
- trauma
- infection
- toxic substances
- metabolic (sodium, glucose, oxygen)
- dementia vs. delerium
Hemorrhagic stroke
bleeding into or around the brain
Which type of stroke is most common in the US?
ischemic
Frontal stroke deficits
problem solving, perseveration, expressive aphasia, personality changes
Temporal stroke deficits
- receptive aphasia
- recognizing faces
- short term memory loss
- aggressive behavior
Parietal stroke deficits
- object naming
- confusion
- difficulty with tactile senses
Occipital stroke deficits
- visual field and color identification
2. word blindness
Cerebellum stroke deficits
- gross and fine motor movement
- posture
- tremor
- speech
Brainstem stroke deficits
- temperature
- heart rate
- respiratory rate
- swallaow
- balance
Which common artery is the most commonly effected?
MCA - middle cerebral artery
Contralateral
symptoms occur on opposite side of the stroke
Ipsiliateral
symptoms occur on same side as stroke
Symptoms of MCA injury
- contralateral face and arm weakness and sensory loss
- mild or no leg weakness
- head and eyes deviated towards side of stroke
- if left sided may produce aphasia
- if right sided, may cause deficits of spatial perception, hemineglect, and apraxia (trouble completing movements)
Symptoms of Posterior Cerebral Artery injury (PCA)
- visual problems
- prosopagnosia (can’t recognize faces)
- alexia (inability to read)
- aphasia (can’t comprehend spoken words)