ABPN Neurology case studies
ABPN Neurology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) is a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties, and its website describes the organization as setting certification standards for psychiatrists and neurologists since 1934. Initial certification in neurology is the entry-level credential a physician pursues after completing accredited neurology residency training. It is distinct from continuing certification, which diplomates maintain after they are certified. The examination is designed to sample the breadth of clinical neurology rather than one subspecialty, so preparation should span cerebrovascular disease, epilepsy and neurophysiology, neuromuscular disorders, movement disorders, demyelinating and autoimmune disease, behavioral neurology and dementia, neuro-oncology, neuro-ophthalmology, neuro-otology, child neurology, neurotrauma, and toxic, metabolic and nutritional disorders, together with basic neuroscience and neuroanatomy. The ABPN Neurology case studies are 5 cases and about 2,458 words.
1Wake-Up Stroke With M2 Occlusion and Recent Apixaban
74-year-old man with atrial fibrillation was last known well at 23:00 and found at 07:00 with right facial and arm weakness and expressive aphasia. He arrives at 08:10; NIHSS is 9, BP 178/96.
589 words, about 3 min2Convulsive Status Epilepticus in Decompensated Cirrhosis
52-year-old man with alcohol-related cirrhosis (MELD 24) has a 3-minute generalized tonic-clonic seizure in the emergency department. He receives IV lorazepam 10 mg and the convulsion stops, but he remains somnolent.
490 words, about 2 min3Myasthenic Crisis With IgA Deficiency and Thymoma
61-year-old woman with 6 months of fluctuating ptosis and diplopia presents with 3 days of dysphagia and dyspnea. Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies are positive; chest CT shows a 4-cm anterior mediastinal mass consistent with thymoma.
450 words, about 2 min4MOGAD Relapse During Pregnancy
29-year-old woman at 14 weeks' gestation presents with 5 days of bilateral blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, and unsteady gait. MRI shows bilateral optic neuritis extending to the chiasm and a lesion in the area postrema.
469 words, about 2 min5Pituitary Apoplexy or Giant Cell Arteritis?
69-year-old woman presents with sudden severe headache, diplopia, right ptosis, and bitemporal visual field loss. ESR is 82 mm/h and CRP 45 mg/L; she also has 3 months of shoulder and hip girdle pain.
460 words, about 2 min