Neurosurgical Registrar 🧠 Cancer immunology PhD candidate 🧪 Hon. Clinical Lecturer 🎓 Jazz pianist 🎹 Motorcyclist 🏍 Views are my own.
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Dec 21, 2021 • 27 tweets • 8 min read
Everyone needs a distraction at the moment. Some time ago I was asked to discuss and demystify #nystagmus - when does it reflect a concerning pathology? Being in isolation with Covid, now seemed time to take on the challenge! An ‘eye-boggling’ #tweetorial. #meded#neurotwitter 🧵
Understanding nystagmus really means understanding how eye movements (EMs) are controlled. (This is what makes it interesting - so don’t give up on me yet!) Here’s a whistle-stop tour of how the brain controls something integral to your everyday function...
Feb 20, 2021 • 24 tweets • 8 min read
Following the recent @realbrainbook CBD, this #tweetorial is going to address the basis for the neurological findings you expect to see in acute cauda equina syndrome, how to approach this often-misunderstood condition systematically, and some tips and tricks. #CES#FOAMed 1/24
The cauda equina (CE) is the bundle of lumbosacral spinal nerves destined for the legs, perineum, bladder and bowel. Any pathology in this area can cause 'cauda equina' features, but I'm going to focus on the emergency condition, usually caused by an acute disc prolapse. 2/24
Nov 29, 2020 • 20 tweets • 5 min read
My last #tweetorial focused on the GCS. Now let's look at another hugely important clinical window into the brain: the pupil. What does a 'blown pupil' really imply? What about small fixed pupils? To understand this, we need to see how pupil size is governed. #FOAMed 1/20
The pupil has two functions, constriction and dilation, both under autonomic control. Sympathetics dilate the pupil and open the eyelid - easy to remember, because in 'fight or flight' mode, maximum information needs to get in to keep you alive. 2/20
Oct 1, 2020 • 15 tweets • 6 min read
The Glasgow Coma Scale is a widespread and important tool for discussing conscious level. After all, "what's the GCS?", barked the stereotypical neurosurgeon at the cowering FY1. But why?!
Well, I can't answer that. But let's think about the GCS in this #tweetorial. #MedEd 1/15
The GCS was described by Graham Teasdale and Bryan Jennett in 1974. It consists of 3 categories - best eye-opening (E), best verbal (V) and best motor response (M). 2/15
