A. Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is a syndrome encountered in patients with severe acute neurologic injury. Patients with PSH may have episodic tachycardia, hypertension, tachypnea, fever, diaphoresis, and posturing. Episodes…
Patients with neuromuscular disease presenting with severe weakness require close monitoring of their respiratory status, as progression to respiratory failure can occur relatively suddenly. As the fundamental problem is one…
Brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and blood are contained within the confined space of the skull. An increase in volume of one of these components necessarily results in a compensatory…
A. Brain death is defined, in the United States and many other countries, as permanent and irreversible cessation of whole brain function. Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, consider…
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) presents with progressive headache, papilledema, changes in mental status, focal neurologic deficits, and/or seizures. Obstructed venous drainage causes venous congestion, resulting in cerebral edema, hemorrhage,…
Vascular malformations of the brain can be organized into five subtypes: (1) cavernous malformations, (2) capillary telangiectasias, (3) arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), (4) developmental venous anomalies, and (5) dural arteriovenous fistulas…
Management of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) poses a conundrum to physicians. The prevalence of UIAs is approximately 3%, the majority of which are discovered incidentally. Rupture of an aneurysm can…
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) refers to bleeding within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-filled subarachnoid space. The majority of spontaneous cases are due to ruptured cerebral aneurysms, but 15%–20% are due to another…
Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage often have concurrent ischemic vascular disease, venous thromboembolic disease, or atrial fibrillation for which antiplatelet (AP) or anticoagulant (AC) therapy would be indicated. Deciding if and…
Patients taking anticoagulants have larger baseline intracerebral hemorrhage volume, greater early hemorrhage expansion, and increased morbidity and mortality compared to those not on anticoagulants. While there is little formal data…
