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…
Pain is the chief complaint in many patients. Although pain may arise from a variety of nonneurologic causes, this chapter will cover the diagnosis and management of six pain syndromes that are uniquely neurologic. Headache is covered in Chapter 15…
Syncope is brief loss of consciousness caused by a sudden reduction of cerebral blood flow. Patients will often use the words “fainting” or “passing out” to describe a syncopal event. Presyncope refers to the sensation of impending loss of consciousness,…
Generalized weakness is usually the primary complaint in patients with severe neuromuscular disease. The most common diseases presenting as acute paralysis and acute respiratory failure are myasthenia gravis and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) (acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy). Patients may also present…
Headache is one of the most common complaints presented to neurologists. This symptom can be caused by two broad categories of disorders. One group comprises the primary headache disorders , including migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache, and other trigeminal autonomic…