A 42-year-old woman presents to her primary care provider with vision loss. She reports that twice over the last 2 weeks she has had sudden “black out” of the vision in her right eye. She notes that both episodes were painless and self-resolved over approximately a minute. The patient’s past medical history is significant for hypertension, diet-controlled diabetes mellitus, and hypothyroidism. Her family history is notable for coronary artery disease in the patient’s father and multiple sclerosis in her mother. Ophthalmologic and neurologic exam is unremarkable. Which of the following is the best next step in management?
AIntravenous dexamethasone
BEmergent referral to ophthalmology
CUltrasound of the carotid arteries
DCheck serum inflammatory markers
EMRI of the brain
A 60-year-old male is admitted to the ICU for severe hypertension complicated by a headache. The patient has a past medical history of insulin-controlled diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. He smokes 2 packs of cigarettes per day. He states that he forgot to take his medications yesterday and started getting a headache about one hour ago. His vitals on admission are the following: blood pressure of 160/110 mmHg, pulse 95/min, temperature 98.6 deg F (37.2 deg C), and respirations 20/min. On exam, the patient has an audible abdominal bruit. After administration of antihypertensive medications, the patient has a blood pressure of 178/120 mmHg. The patient reports his headache has increased to a 10/10 pain level, that he has trouble seeing, and he can't move his extremities. After stabilizing the patient, what is the best next step to diagnose the patient's condition?
ADoppler ultrasound of the carotids
BCT head with intravenous contrast
CMRI head without intravenous contrast
DCT head without intravenous contrast
EMRI head with intravenous contrast
A 50-year-old man presents to his primary care provider complaining of double vision and trouble seeing out of his right eye. His vision started worsening about 2 months ago and has slowly gotten worse. It is now severely affecting his quality of life. Past medical history is significant for poorly controlled hypertension and hyperlipidemia. He takes amlodipine, atorvastatin, and a baby aspirin every day. He smokes 2–3 cigarettes a day and drinks a glass of wine with dinner every night. Today, his blood pressure is 145/85 mm Hg, heart rate is 90/min, respiratory rate is 14/min, and temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F). On physical exam, he appears pleasant and talkative. His heart has a regular rate and rhythm and his lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally. Examination of the eyes reveals a dilated right pupil that is positioned inferolateral with ptosis. An angiogram of the head and neck is performed and he is referred to a neurologist. The angiogram reveals a 1 cm berry aneurysm at the junction of the posterior communicating artery and the posterior cerebral artery compressing the oculomotor nerve. Which of the following statements best describes the mechanism behind the oculomotor findings seen in this patient?
AThe parasympathetic nerve fibers of this patient’s eye are activated.
BThe sympathetic nerve fibers of this patient’s eye are inhibited.
CThe unopposed inferior oblique muscle rotates the eye downward.
DThe unopposed superior oblique muscle rotates the eye downward.
EThe unopposed medial rectus muscle rotates the eye in the lateral direction.
+ 7 more in the PDF
Browse all chapters