Continuum : lifelong learning in neurology
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This article offers a pragmatic roadmap to the practicing neurologist on how to approach the patient with double vision. Strategies of history taking and examination techniques are reviewed, followed by a broad overview of the causes of diplopia organized by neuroanatomic localization. Diplopia may be the first symptom of serious vision or life-threatening neurologic disease, and its correct localization and diagnosis are therefore essential. The systems responsible for ocular movement and alignment in the vertical and horizontal plane include complex supranuclear circuitry, brainstem nuclei, cranial nerves III, IV, and VI, and their respective neuromuscular junctions and target muscles. Disruption at any point within this system or within the vestibular afferents that govern eye movement in response to head movements may therefore produce diplopia, leading to a broad differential diagnosis for the patient with diplopia. With a careful history and examination, the neurologist should be able to observe the patterns of diplopia that reveal the site of dysfunction, thus generating a shorter localization-specific list of possible etiologies. Examination of ocular motility including smooth pursuit and saccadic function, followed, if necessary, by testing designed to uncover misalignments of the eyes, including cover and Maddox rod testing, are primary components of the efferent neurologic examination. Further testing designed to detect myasthenia (eg, lid testing and fatigable upgaze) and orbital disease (eg, measuring proptosis, testing for resistance to retropulsion) may be necessary. ⋯ With proper skills, the neurologist can elucidate the localization of diplopia, even in cases of complex ocular misalignment, and generate a management plan that can address the underlying disease, and, in many cases, ameliorate or cure the diplopia.
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This article provides an update on the evaluation and treatment of neurosarcoidosis. ⋯ Advances in the diagnosis and management of neurosarcoidosis may benefit the patient and clinician faced with this multifaceted disease.
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This review provides an overview of emergent evaluation of the stroke patient with an emphasis on practical issues regarding ischemic stroke treatment. ⋯ Effective emergent evaluation of a stroke patient requires well-organized systems that maximize speed of assessment and administration of appropriate therapies, including IV rtPA and endovascular therapies.
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Thrombosis of the dural sinus and/or cerebral veins (CVT) is a rare but potentially devastating type of stroke that tends to occur in young adults, especially women. In this article, the abbreviation CVT refers to either cerebral venous thrombosis or dural sinus thrombosis. The purpose of this review is to review the most up-to-date literature on the epidemiology, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of CVT. In addition, illustrative cases that represent the spectrum of CVT are provided. ⋯ CVT is an important diagnosis to keep in mind when evaluating patients with headache in the emergency department, and it is important that it not be overlooked because it is treatable.
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Continuum (Minneap Minn) · Apr 2014
Telephone consultations for tissue plasminogen activator administration in acute stroke.
Effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke has been available for 17 years, but wide geographic variability remains in timely access to neurologic expertise and other components of stroke systems of care. Telemedical technology can be used to improve such access, but it is debatable whether neurologists have an ethical obligation to provide consultation regarding tissue plasminogen activator use via the telephone. This article examines whether neurologists are ethically obligated to provide telephone-mediated acute stroke consultation.