Inhalational anesthetics: halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane
depolarizing muscle relaxants: succinylcholine
Note: it is safe to use thiopental, etomidate, and propofol
Presentation: masseter spasm often earliest indicator, then tachypnea, tachycardia, increasing end-tidal carbon dioxide levels and acidosis then hyperthermia and cyanosis, rigidity, rhabdomyolysis
Note: can pre-screen with halothane-caffeine contracture test in vitro
Treatment: stop offending agent, supportive measures
Neuroleptic-induced heat stroke
More in elderly and young / impaired sweating / risk increased by concomitant use of anticholinergics (Cogentin) / can produce seizures
Treatment: supportive, rapid cooling, fluids
Acute lethal catatonia
Presentation: posturing, waxy flexibility (cerea flexibilitas), hyperactivity preceded by behavioral changes in weeks leading up to motor deficits, which then may progress to hyperthermia, akinesia, and rigidity and death from respiratory and circulatory failure
Treatment: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
Serotonin syndrome
Causes: SSRI, amphetamines, cocaine, dextromethorphan, meperidine, TCA, tramadol, MAO
Presentation: mental status changes, neuromuscular (tremor, rigidity, seizures + shivering, ataxia, hyperreflexia, myoclonus, ankle clonus), autonomic dysfunction (flushing, labile, HTN, fever, though not as high as NMS, salivation, tachycardia), gastrointestinal dysfunction (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea)
Complications: CV collapse, lactic acidosis, multiorgan failure, coma, death are all rare but possible outcomes
Labs: WBC, CK, LFT variably elevated
Course: recovery in 1-7 days after drug stopped / usually no sequelae
Treatment: can give SSRI antagonists, cyproheptadine, chlorpromazine
Central anticholinergic syndrome
Presentation: altered mental status +/- hyperthermia, decreased sweating, mydriasis, dry mouth, and urinary retention
Treatment: physostigmine (and supportive measures)
CNS injury
CVA
intracranial hemorrhage
venous sinus thrombosis
CNS vasculitis
Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA, stroke)
Carotid/vertebral artery disease (10-15%)
Cardiac emboli (25-30%)
Intracardiac thrombus or mass
MI (anterior wall, septum, akinetic segment), cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias (Afib), cardiac myxoma
Valvular
rheumatic heart disease, bacterial endocarditis, non-bacterial endocarditis
(Libman-Sacks, carcinoma), mitral valve prolapse, prosthetic valve
Intracranial (40-50%)
Vasculitides
Primary CNS vasculitis
systemic vasculitis (PAN, allergic angiitis), CTD (RA, scleroderma, Sjögren’s), Wegener’s, Behçet’s, GCA, Takayasu’s, lymphomatoid granulomatosis
Hypersensitivity vasculitis (serum sickness, drug-induced, cutaneous)
Infectious vasculitis (lyme, meningitis, Tb, AIDS, opthalmic zoster, HBV)
Sub-arachnoid hemorrhage or vasospasm
Hematologic
Hemoglobinopathies (sickle cell, HbSC)
Hyperviscosity syndromes (polycythemia, thrombocytosis, leukocytosis,
macroglobulinemia, multiple myeloma)
Hypercoagulable states (carcinoma, pregnancy, puerperium, protein C/S
deficiency, antiphospholipid antibodies)
Drug-related: street drugs (cocaine, amphetamines, lysergic acid, PCP, meth,
heroin, pentazocine), alcohol, OCPs
Other: lipohyalinosis, fibromuscular dysplasia, arterial dissection, homocystinuria,
migraine, moyamoya, other embolic (cholesterol, fat, bone, air)
Types of Stroke (see specific syndromes)
MCA: contralateral hemiparesis (hemiplegia), hemianesthesia, homonymous hemianopsia
dominant aphasia,
nondominant apraxia, neglect
Lacunar (often MCA territory, internal capsule): pure motor or sensory stroke, dysarthria-clumsy hand syndrome, ataxic hemiparesis
ACA: leg paresis
PCA: homonymous hemianopsia
Basilar: coma, apnea, cranial nerve palsies
TIA: any of above < 24 hrs
Note: only bilateral hemispheric and basilar (RAS) strokes cause loss of consciousness!
Aphasia
Suggests left hemisphere lesion (most people, even left-handed have language on left)
Wernicke’s – from left inferior MCA – fluid but meaningless speech / hemiparesis mild or absent
Broca’s – from left superior MCA – impaired speech / hemiparesis, hemisensory loss is common
Ddx: brain tumor, hematoma (all kinds), abscess, endocarditis, MS, metabolic (ex. hypoglycemia), neurosyphilis
Work-Up:
CT without contrast (faster to get and good for r/o herniation, bleed)
MRI
CBC, glucose, coagulation, lipid, ESR, VDRL
EKG and echo
Vascular: carotid ultrasound, MRA or CT angiography / transcranial doppler or MRA
Hypercoagulable work-up if relevant
Treatment:
Thrombolysis (tPA) < 3 hrs (see contraindications); does no higher than 0.9mg/kg over 60 mins / RF for ICH older age, female, black, h/o CVA, HTN > 140/100
Consider anti-platelets if no hemorrhage
ASA has been shown to have slight reduction in mortality and risk of recurrence (plavix may be more effective but slightly higher cost and GI bleed risk)
Consider heparin if no hemorrhage
no studies (as of 2001) show mortality increase with heparin for acute CVA (some neurologists use it in specific circumstances)
maintain cerebral perfusion (so-called ischemia penumbra): do not overtreat HTN (SBP goal should be 160 to ?)
watch for signs of progression/herniation
Long-term
Treat underlying cause (carotid stenosis, Afib, etc)
Carotid Stenosis
NASCET in patients with TIA/CVA and ipsilateral carotid artery stenosis > 70%, a carotid endarterectomy reduced stroke rate from 26% to 9% over 2 years
ACAS 11% to 5% over 5 years if > 60% stenosis
TIA (Transient Ischemic Attacks)
4 to 20% will have stroke within next 90 days / 50% within 48 hrs / ABCD score used to help risk stratify / Age > 60 = 1, BP > 140/90 = 1, (unilateral weakness = 2; speech only = 1), (duration > 60 mins = 2; 10-59 mins = 1), diabetes = 1
Specific Stroke Syndromes
Lateral medullary syndrome of Wallenberg - vertebral artery or PICA
Clinical: loss of pain and temperature to ipsilateral face (descending spinal tract and nucleus of 5th CN) and contralateral body (spinothalamic tract), ipsilateral ataxia (cerebellar peduncle), ipsilateral Horner’s (descending sympathetic fibers), ipsilateral weakness of the palate and vocal cords (nuclei of 9th and 10th CN) / may present with nausea, vomiting, vertigo from involvement of vestibular system
Mediobasal mesencephalic syndrome of Weber
infarction of one cerebral peduncle / ipsilateral 3rd nerve palsy and contralateral hemiplegia [pic]
Millard-Gubler syndrome – basilar artery
damage to pons (left corticospinal tract proximal to decussation in medulla)
6th and 7th CN affected impaired lateral gaze, diplopia, facial weakness (all ipsilateral) [pic]
contralateral hemiplegia
mid basilar artery occlusion
causes same thing only 5th CN ipsilateral and contralateral hemiplegia
Hypertension
Lenticulostriate arteries basal ganglia, pons, cerebellum, lacunes (small focal areas, lacunar infarcts)
Clinical scenarios: motor hemiplegia, pure sensory stroke, ataxic-hemiparesis syndromes, “clumsy hand” dysarthria (base of pons or internal capsule)
Charcot-Bouchard aneurysm
aneurysms of lenticulostriate arteries
Binswanger’s disease
arteriolosclerotic encephalopathy
Multi-infarct dementia
second leading cause of dementia / step-wise progression (hemiparesis, extensor plantar response, pseudobulbar palsy) / hypoglycemia, vasculitis, infection, compression
Venous and dural sinus thromboses
infectious origin, hemorrhagic, often fatal
Malformation
berry aneurysms (80% single), AVMs (most common congenital, supratentorial)
Perinatal cerebrovascular disease
Germinal matrix hemorrhage
post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus, sub-ependymal cysts / small blue cell vessels, blood in ventricles
Periventricular leukomalacia
white matter infarct
multicystic encephalomalacia
ischemic lesions of grey matter
pontosubicular karyorhexis (hyperoxemia)
CNS infection
Meningitis (see other)
Brain Abscess
Immunocompetent (from oral spread): peptostreptococcus > fusobacterium, bacteroides
Immunocompetent: zygomyces, staphylococcus (possibly from bacteremia)
glucose normal / increased risk with R-L shunt from congenital cardiac defect (blood skips
alveolar macrophages in lungs)
Evolution of brain abscess: early cerebritis (3 to 5 d), late cerebritis (5 to 14 d), early
encapsulization (14 d, late encapsulization (weeks to months)
early normal or hypodense lesions on noncontrast CT / ill-defined enhancing lesions on contrast CT
late ring-enhancing on contrast CT
Drugs that penetrate CSF:
Empyema
may lead to superior saggital sinus thrombosis
Congenital
rubella, CMV
Vasculitis
mucor, aspergillus
Amoebiasis
N. fowleri, Acanthamoeba, Leptomyxid amoebae
CNS malformations
agenesis of corpus callosum (batwing X-ray)
Arnold-Chiari
small posterior fossa / herniation of vermis into foramen magnum, hydrocephalus, lumbar myelomeningocoele
syringomyelia soft cavitation of central canal, loss of pain/temperature bilaterally in upper extremities (light touch preserved)
Dandy-Walker
enlarged posterior fossa / absent cerebellar vermis, cyst protruding from 4th ventricle
CNS trauma - accidents 4th most common COD in all ages
fractures diastatic, comminuted, ring
contusions plaque jaune
CSF leak (from basilar skull fracture)
CT air-fluid levels, opacification of paranasal sinuses, intracranial air
Radioisotope cisternography or HRCT with water-soluble contrast (metrizamide
cisternography) are the gold standards
Epidural hematoma
middle meningeal, skull fracture, lucid interval, progressive hemiparesis/obtundation and ‘blown pupil’ from herniation
CT: lens-shaped convex hyperdensity
Treatment: emergent neurosurgical evacuation
Subdural hematoma
Causes: bridging veins, head trauma, blood dyscrasias, elderly, alcoholics, child abuse (shaken baby)
Presentation: headache, change in mental status, contralateral hemiparesis or other focal
CT: crescent-shaped concave hyperdensity
Treatment: neurosurgical evacuation if symptomatic / avoid anticoagulation
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