ICU Acquired Weakness (ICUAW) includes critical illness myopathy (CIM); critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP), or a mixture of both (myopathy is typically predominant); very common in the mechanically ventilated (25-60% in those mechanically ventilated for > 7 days)
Nikolaus Friedreich (1825-1882) was a German neurologist and pathologist.
Pseudocoma is the term used for a patient feigning a comatose state, however it is sometimes also used for conditions like locked-in syndrome where patients may involuntarily appear unconscious but are actually self aware
Spinal cord syndromes
Status epilepticus: continuous seizure activity for 5 minutes or more without return of consciousness, or recurrent seizures (2 or more) without an intervening period of neurological recovery
Watershed infarcts result from severe hypotensive insults. They occur in areas with relatively poor blood supply at the boundaries between territories of cerebral arteries or their branches.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp, which corresponds to the voltage fluctuations caused by ionic current flows within brain neurons.
Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) refers to thrombus formation in either the deep or superficial venous drainage systems of the brain. The etiology is multifactorial and the presentation is variable, with diagnosis requiring a high index of suspicion
Bispectral Index (BIS) Monitoring: BIS monitor was developed by Aspect Medical Systems; BIS = bispectral index; other 'depth of anaesthesia' monitors exist (e.g. Entropy)
Neurological Toxicity of Chemotherapy: Encephalopathy; Cerebellar Syndrome; Myelopathy; Peripheral Neuropathy; Stroke and Venous Thrombosis; SIADH
Acute non-traumatic weakness may occur as a result of a wide variety of underlying etiologies, many of which are life-threatening
Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis is an under-recognised progressive neurological disorder caused by antibodies against NR1-NR2 NMDA receptors; 60% of patients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis have the presence of a tumour (most commonly teratoma)