Key Points Introduction Optic neuritis is an inflammatory disorder of the optic nerve (CN II), disrupting its ability to transfer information from the retina to the brain. It leads to acute, central vision loss with ocular pain made worse on eye movement. Risk factors2 for typical optic neuritis include: Around 50% of all patients with MS
Head injury remains a common reason for presentations to the emergency department in the UK and, akin to trauma as a whole, represents a significant cause of death and morbidity in those aged 1 to 40 years of age. Whilst over 1 million patients will present each year, head injury is by no means a
A fascia iliaca block (FIB) is a regional anaesthetic technique where local anaesthetic is deposited beneath the fascia iliaca to block the femoral, lateral femoral cutaneous, and often obturator nerves. It is commonly used for analgesia in hip and proximal femur fractures, particularly neck of femur fractures. Approaches include the landmark (anatomical) technique, which will be
A lumbar puncture involves the insertion of a needle between the lumbar vertebrae, at a level below the termination of the spinal cord, allowing for CSF collection from the subarachnoid space. Primarily performed as a diagnostic technique, the sampled CSF can be sent for biochemistry, cytology, and microbiology to aid identification of infections, subarachnoid haemorrhage and neurological
Introduction Functional neurological disorders are some of the most common neurological problems and are conceptualised as disorders of the functioning of the nervous system (rather than the structure). They can cause a wide array of symptoms, such as seizures, weakness and dizziness, and typically there are clinical features that actively support the diagnosis of FND.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the third most common dementia across all age groups and the leading type of early-onset dementia. This type affects primarily the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, with a characteristic pattern of atrophy (brain parenchymal loss) on imaging studies. There are two main subtypes of FTD, Behavioural variant (bvFTD) and
In the webinar below, Dr Sam Kular (interventional radiology fellow) provides a structured approach to CT head interpretation, with an overview of common cases & pitfalls.
In people over the age of 65 years, 1 in 11 will have a diagnosis of dementia. Dementia is a chronic, irreversible and progressive condition, not only affecting memory but also an individual’s emotions, behaviour, and executive function. These additional symptoms have a high burden of morbidity for patients and also impact their relatives and
Loss of vision can be a scary symptom for patients to experience, and a scary presentation for doctors to manage! You will not be expected to know the causes in detail. However, some knowledge of the following conditions will help you to risk-stratify patients. These patients will most likely require an urgent referral to your
Vertigo is described as an “abnormal sensation of motion. It can occur in the absence of motion or when motion is sensed inaccurately”1 Assessing a patient with vertigo can be challenging, even for experienced clinicians. Patients often use the words “vertigo” and “dizziness” synonymously to describe their symptoms, but the sensations they are experiencing can
