Jeffrey Waggoner MD - DocNeuro

Temporal Arteritis

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:03:18 +0000

Temporal arteritis is a commonly used term that refers to an inflammation of the temporal artery. There is some confusion about terminology since this entity is also referred to as giant cell arteritis. This latter term describes the pathologic appearance inflamed arteries—infiltrated by multinucleated giant cells as well as lymphocytes and plasma cells. This entity […]

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Optic Neuritis

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:00:59 +0000

Optic neuritis is inflammation of the optic nerve. It is principally due to demyelinization and is closely associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Potential etiologies of optic neuritis Almost one fifth of new cases of MS present as an optic neuritis. Studies estimate that 40% to 50% of MS patients will eventually develop an optic neuritis. […]

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Tic Douloureaux

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:56:55 +0000

Trigeminal neuralgia (TGN) is a neuritis of the fifth cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve. It is estimated to occur at a rate of 1.6 per thousand (internationally.) It occurs at a frequency roughly the same in men and women. Etiology of Tic Douloureaux Its etiology continues to be much debated. One theory proposes that peripheral […]

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Mastoiditis

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:55:03 +0000

There was a time when acute mastoiditis was the most common complication of otitis media (AOM). With the advent of antibiotics, this complication has become relatively rare. It is of interest that at a time when the use of antibiotics for all cases of otitis media is being questioned, the members of the ENT community […]

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Dizziness

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:48:26 +0000

As a complaint, dizziness and vertigo are as common as back pain and headache. Any seasoned primary care physician will testify to the difficulties posed by dizzy patients. They can be both frustrating and confusing, and a patient who is dizzy and tired represents the iconic test of a practitioner’s patience. A systematic approach to […]

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Spinal Stenosis

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:47:18 +0000

The causes of spinal cord narrowing and root compression are disk protrusion or narrowing, osteotic overgrowth, and vertebral shifting in the form of spondylolisthesis. Spinal stenosis is a specific term that refers to a focal narrowing of the spinal canal from osteotic overgrowth. (Obviously, the other two causes of narrowing can act to worsen spinal […]

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Acute Hearing Loss

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:43:28 +0000

Acute hearing loss can be secondary to a simple, common cause or can be what is considered a medical emergency. It is a circumstance that should be looked upon as serious until it has been reasonably well defined. Acute primary hearing loss is called sudden hearing loss (SHL). It can be caused by viral and […]

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Acoustic Neuroma

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:41:37 +0000

Acoustic neuromas (more properly called vestibular schwannomas) arise from the Schwann cell sheath of either the vestibular or the cochlear nerve. They account for four-fifths of cerebellopontine angle tumors (the remaining 20% are mostly meningiomas.) Most of the schwannomas are derived from the vestibular portion of the vestibulocochlear nerve. Less than 5% arise from the […]

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Headache

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:31:31 +0000

Headaches may accompany a variety of conditions of the head or neck. Acute—acute onset headache different in character from previous headaches is a medical emergency. Differential contains elements that must all be addressed in a prompt, appropriate manner. Vascular bleed (brain aneurysm)—presents with an acute, severe headache, a stiff neck, but no fever. Sometimes, patient […]

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Vision Loss

Jeffrey Waggoner MD — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:29:46 +0000

Acute vision loss may be caused by central retinal artery occlusion, central vein occlusion, temporal arteritis, optic neuritis, optic neuropathy, vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, neovascular age-related macular degeneration, stroke, hysterical conversion reactions, or malingering. Acute vision loss may last minutes or hours, amaurosis fugax. Causes of this entity include ocular migraine, emboli to retinal arteries, […]

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