The General Surgery End of Rotation Blueprint Neurology section includes seven topics and represents 5% of your General Surgery EOR exam
Change in speech | Aphasia is an inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions
Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder resulting from neurological injury of the motor component of the motor-speech system
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Change in vision | Perioperative vision loss is very rare, occurring at a frequency of 0.002% after nonocular surgeries and 0.2% after cardiac and spine surgeries
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Epidural hematoma | Traumatic head injury, conscious in ER followed by unconsciousness
Epidural hematomas are caused by damage to the middle meningeal artery as it passes through the foramen spinosum of the sphenoid bone. |
Motor and sensory loss | Spinal Cord Injuries
Anterior cord syndrome:
Central cord syndrome:
Complete cord transection:
Brown-Sequard syndrome (hemisection of the cord):
Distal sensory polyneuropathy
Axonal neuropathies are most frequently due to:
Other causes of sensory neuronopathy include:
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Subarachnoid hemorrhage | "Worst headache of my life"
Subarachnoid hemorrhage typically occurs due to ruptured berry aneurysms and presents with the "worst headache" of a person's life. |
Subdural hematoma | An elderly patient with a history of multiple falls who is now presenting with neurological symptoms – indicative of a chronic subdural hematoma. |
Vascular disorders (carotid disease) | Carotid stenosis < 70% is best managed with antiplatelet therapy (aspirin), whereas stenosis > 70% is best managed with carotid endarterectomy. |