Category Neurology
Neurological Mind Boggler 340

HIV brain mass

Consider a 45 year-old HIV positive male with right hemiparesis and fluctuating conscious state. His CT head is shown below.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

ICU Acquired Weakness (ICUAW)

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)

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Pseudocoma

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

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Status Epilepticus

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

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Watershed infarcts

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.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

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.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

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

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Bispectral Index (BIS) Monitoring

Bispectral Index (BIS) Monitoring: BIS monitor was developed by Aspect Medical Systems; BIS = bispectral index; other 'depth of anaesthesia' monitors exist (e.g. Entropy)