Memory dysfunction may be variable in its presentation and ranges from the highly functioning senior citizen complaining of forgetfulness to the patient brought in by a relative for bizarre behavior and confusion. Amnesia is defined as a pure loss of…
A developmental, social, and family history should be obtained for every pediatric patient seen as an emergency. The guardians’ understanding of any preexisting diseases and of the cause of the current events also should be elicited. At first glance, determine…
Introduction Epilepsy, seizures, and related disorders are among the most commonly encountered problems in neurologic practice. Diagnosis and treatment of these disorders can be challenging for even the most experienced physicians, and for patients, these disorders can be the source…
Movement disorders may be defined simply as abnormal involuntary (i.e., uncontrollable) movements. These movements are not the result of weakness or sensory deficits. Rather, they are generally the result of dysfunction of what may be defined anatomically as either the…
Cerebrovascular disease includes a wide spectrum of disorders, all sharing an acquired or inherited pathology of the cerebral vasculature. Stroke syndromes range in scope from a minor hemisensory loss in a single limb to hemiplegia, cognitive changes, and coma. The…
Tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. In the United States, it is estimated that 22,000 new cases and 13,000 deaths caused by primary malignant CNS malignancies occur annually. Additionally, 28,000 new…
There are a broad number of organisms that can cause damage to the central or peripheral nervous system, either directly or indirectly. These conditions are often life-threatening. Diagnosis can be challenging because patients often present with nonspecific clinical syndromes that…
Demyelinating and inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) are varied and often enigmatic. Multiple sclerosis ( MS), the prototypical inflammatory demyelinating disease, is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by loss of myelin and relative preservation of axons. Acute…
Patients with neuromuscular disease generally present with weakness, sensory loss, or both of these conditions. Your approach should initially focus on localizing the problem to a specific component of the peripheral nervous system that is involved (e.g., neuropathy or myopathy)…
The Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) of 1981 defined death in two ways: (1) there is the traditional definition of death involving the irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory function; and (2) there is the irreversible cessation of all…