Topic: Horner's Syndrome
Subject: Medicine
A 70-year-old man presented with ptosis, myosis and anhydrosis on the left side. Which one of the following is the most likely cause of this condition?
Tumour induced exophthalmos
Fourth cranial nerve palsy
Apical pulmonary carcinoma
Enlarged thyroid gland
Correct Answer :
C. Apical pulmonary carcinoma
Horner's syndrome results when the cervical sympathetic pathway running from the hypothalamus to the eye is disrupted. The syndrome may be central, preganglionic, or postganglionic in origin; it may be primary or secondary to another disorder.
An apical bronchogenic carcinoma (eg Pancoast tumor) is the most common cause of Horner syndrome. Central lesions include brain stem ischemia, syringomyelia, and brain tumor; peripheral lesions include Pancoast tumor, thyrocervical venous dilatation, cervical adenopathy, neck and skull injuries, aortic or carotid dissection, and thoracic aortic aneurysm. A congenital form exists. Symptoms include ptosis, miosis, anhidrosis, and hyperemia of the affected side. In the congenital form, the iris does not become pigmented and remains blue-gray. Liquid cocaine 10% can be applied to the affected eye; poor pupillary dilation after 30 min indicates Horner's syndrome. If results are positive, 1% hydroxyamphetamine solution or 5% n-methyl hydroxyamphetamine can be applied to the eye 48 h later to determine whether the lesion is preganglionic (if the pupil dilates) or postganglionic (if the pupil does not dilate).
Related Questions
Topic: Brain Death
Subject: Medicine
A 35 year old man has been on life support systems for the past 48 hours following blunt head trauma. Which of the following is the most important criterion to declare the patient brain dead and to permit removal of life support systems?
Bedside EEG showing no electrical activity
Decorticate and decerebrate posturing
Failure to respond to electroconvulsive stimuli
Glasgow coma score of 3 or less
Topic: Horner's Syndrome
Subject: Medicine
A 66-year-old diabetic man presents with constriction of the pupil, drooping of the upper lid, and anhidrosis on the left. Which one of the following nerves is most likely involved?
Oculomotor
Sympathetic
Trochlear
Trigeminal
Topic: Status Epilepticus
Subject: Medicine
Which one of the following should be given intravenously in the initial treatment of status epilepticus?
Propofol (Diprivan)
Phenobarbital
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Midazolam (Versed)
Topic: Seizure
Subject: Medicine
A 32-year-old female experiences an episode of unresponsiveness associated with jerking movements of her arms and legs. Which one of the following presentations would make a diagnosis of true seizure more likely?
Post-event confusion
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A history of fibromyalgia
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Topic: Essential Tremor
Subject: Medicine
A 66 year old white female consults you because she has developed a tremor of her right hand that interferes with her ability to do needlework. She has noticed that the tremor improves when she rests her hands in her lap and gets worse when she holds them up against gravity. She has developed a slight quiver to her voice as well. Her symptoms started gradually over 6 months ago and have progressed slowly. She remembers her mother having similar problems in her later years. She takes no medications, and her physical examination corroborates her history. No other abnormalities are noted. A multiple chemistry screen and TSH level are normal.
Which one of the following is most likely to alleviate her tremor?
Propranolol (Inderal)
Paroxetine (Paxil)
Carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet)
Bromocriptine (Parlodel)
Topic: Amnesia
Subject: Medicine
Which of the following medications may cause amnesia as a side effect?
Hydroxyzine
Fluoxetine
Triazolam
Clonidine
Topic: Temporal Arteritis
Subject: Medicine
A 75-year-old female presents with a 2-month history of bilateral headache, diffuse myalgias, and diplopia. On examination she has substantially diminished vision in her left eye, but no other neurologic findings. A moderately tender, cordlike structure is palpable just anterior to her ear and extending up to her lateral scalp. Blood tests show a markedly elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
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Clopidogrel (Plavix)
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Topic: Status Epilepticus
Subject: Medicine
A 58-year-old male with a history of seizure attacks suffered from a 30min loss of consciousness with repetitive seizures with no recovery of consciousness between attacks. What is the best initial treatment for his condition?
Lorazepam
Phenytoin
Phenobarbital
Carbamazepine
Topic: Temporal Arteritis
Subject: Medicine
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Increase the dose of the NSAID
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Topic: Hepatic Encephalopathy
Subject: Medicine
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What is the probable source of this patient's confusion?
Severe anemia
Hepatic encephalopathy
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
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Topic: Osmotic Demyelination
Subject: Medicine
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Hypocalcemia
Hypoglycemia
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Subject: Medicine
A 58-year-old male with a history of seizure attacks suffered from a 30 min loss of consciousness with repetitive seizures with no recovery of consciousness between attacks. What is the disorder this patient is suffering from?
Tonic-clonic seizure
Absence seizure
Atonic seizure
Status epilepticus
Topic: Postherpetic Neuralgia
Subject: Medicine
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Imipramine (Tofranil)
Capsaicin (Zostrix)
Amitriptyline
Acyclovir (Zovirax)
Topic: MMSE
Subject: Medicine
The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) tests for:
Mood
Behavior
Intelligence quotient
Cognitive function
Topic: Dementia
Subject: Medicine
Clinical features of multi-infarct dementia may include all of the following, except:
Parkinsonism
Deteriorating course
Evidence of cerebrovascular disease
Focal neurologic signs
Topic: Seizure
Subject: Medicine
A 52-year-old man with a history of seizure attacks suffered from loss of consciousness and tonic and clonic muscular contractions. His tongue fell back into his throat and he choked. What is the best diagnostic test for assessment of the presenting condition of this patient?
X-rays
CT-Scan
Electroencephalogram
Discography
Topic: Peripheral Neuropathy
Subject: Medicine
A 68-year-old male presents to your department complaining of a very horrible sensation in his legs that started out 4 weeks ago as pins and needles tickling him but now has progressed and feels like being stabbed in his feet. He has started to use a walker because he feels that when he walks it feels like stepping on eggshells. The pain has not been responsive to acetaminophen and ibuprofen. The patients past medical history is significant for diabetes type II treated with metformin and glimepiride. The patient has not been very compliant with medications, especially metformin because he feels it causes him an upset stomach. His most recent HbA1C level was 9.8%. He also has hypercholesterolemia treated with lovastatin and hypertension treated with Lisinopril and amlodipine. His vital signs are temperature 37.4°C, BP is 125/70 mmHg, pulse 85/min, and respirations 15/min. The dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial pulses are +2 bilaterally. No distal muscles weakness or atrophy is observed. Manual esthesiometer with monofilaments is used and reveals decreased sensation from the midfoot distally on both feet. There is no evidence of erythema, edema, or any wounds on either foot. He has tenderness to light touch on both feet. Labs reveal normal Vitamin B12 and thyroid function.
Which of the following would be the most appropriate treatment for this patients pain?
Daily metformin compliance
Metoclopramide
Pregabalin
Alpha lipoic acid
Topic: Seizure
Subject: Medicine
A 36-year-old male with a history of a seizure disorder is brought to the emergency department with generalized tonic-clonic activity. Emergency medical personnel report this has been ongoing for 20 minutes.
After initial resuscitative measures, the preferred medication in this situation is:
Phenytoin (Dilantin)
Fosphenytoin (Cerebyx)
Naloxone
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Topic: Mini Mental Status Exam (or MMSE)
Subject: Medicine
In healthy adults, performance on the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination is affected by which one of the following?
Educational attainment
Socioeconomic status
Gender
Race
Topic: Essential Tremor
Subject: Medicine
A 75 year old white male complains of a tremor which has been progressive over the past 2 years. The tremor interferes with writing, pouring liquids, and eating soup. He has no other medical problems. He abstains from alcohol and tobacco products. Physical examination is remarkable for an action tremor of the upper extremities and a head tremor. No rigidity or gait disorder is noted. Of the following agents, which one is most appropriate as initial drug therapy for this problem?
Alprazolam (Xanax)
Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
Propranolol (Inderal)
Topic: Intracranial Hemorrhage
Subject: Medicine
The most significant risk factor for spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage is:
Atrial fibrillation
Cigarette smoking
Excessive alcohol use
Hypertension
Topic: Foot Drop
Subject: Medicine
During the physical exam of a patients foot, you notice an inability to dorsiflex. What nerve root(s) is most likely affected?
T12
L1
L2
L4 - L5
Topic: Diagnostic Investigations
Subject: Medicine
A 50-year-old male is brought to the emergency department because of a syncopal episode. Prior to the episode, he felt bad for 30 minutes, then developed nausea followed by vomiting. During a second bout of vomiting he blacked out and fell to the floor. His wife did not observe any seizure activity, and he was unconscious only for a few seconds. His history is otherwise negative, his past medical history is unremarkable, and he currently takes no medications. A physical examination is normal.
Which one of the following would be the most helpful next step?
CT of the head
Carotid ultrasonography
A CBC and complete metabolic profile
An EKG
Topic: Trigeminal Neuralgia
Subject: Medicine
A 55-year-old man complains of extremely severe, sharp, shooting pain in his face. He describes the episodes as being like a bolt of electricity that are brought about by touching a specific area, last about 60 seconds, and occur many times during the day. Neurologic examination is completely normal, but it is noted that part of his face is unshaven because he fears to touch that area. Gadoliniumenhanced MRI shows no abnormalities of the trigeminal nerve.
Which of the following is the most appropriate initial treatment?
Anticonvulsants
Aspirin
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Vasoconstrictors
Topic: Adverse Drug Effect
Subject: Medicine
A 68-year-old man with a history of urolithiasis, suffered from a seizure attack which involved loss of consciousness with tonic and clonic muscular contractions. His tongue fell back into his throat and he choked. He is treated with valproic acid.
What are the most common side effects caused by this medication?
Weight gain
Rash
Nausea and headache
Tardive dyskinesia
Topic: Postherpetic Neuralgia
Subject: Medicine
A 78-year-old male comes to your office with a 3- day history of pain in the right side of his chest. The pain is described as burning and intense. Two days ago he noted a rash at that site. Examination reveals groups of vesicles on an erythematous base in a T-5 dermatome distribution on the right.
Which one of the following would be the most appropriate treatment to minimize the chance of post-herpetic neuralgia?
Famiciclovir (Famvir)
Prednisone
Capsaicin (Zostrix)
Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
Topic: DM neuropathy
Subject: Medicine
In which of the following diseases would you see a gloves and stocking neuropathy?
Diabetes mellitus
Lupus
Multiple sclerosis
ALS
Topic: Tension headache.
Subject: Medicine
A woman presents with chief complaint of tightening, band-like headaches that usually occur upon rising in the morning. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Migraine headache
Premenstrual headache
Tension headache
Cluster headache
Topic: Diagnostic Investigations
Subject: Medicine
A 52 year old male with a history of psychosis presents with muscle stiffness and resting tremors, associated with difficulty in balance and initiating movements. What is the best diagnostic method for detection of the above condition?
Serum dopamine levels
Computed tomography scan
Positron emission tomography scan
Magnetic resonance imaging
Topic: Organophosphate poisoning
Subject: Medicine
What is the mechanism of action in organophosphate poisoning?
Cholinesterase inhibition
Cholinesterase activation
Catecholamine inhibition
Catecholamine activation