How to Think Like a Neurologist : A Case-Based Guide to Clinical Reasoning in Neurology

How to Think Like a Neurologist flips the neurology educational narrative on its head and attempts to lift the veil of neurophobia to show how neurologists use critical thinking and clinical reasoning to diagnose neurologic diseases. This book aims to provide a practical representation of the modern-day practice of medicine, where the good clinical neurologist is no longer seen as somebody who somehow carries encyclopedic knowledge of every medical condition. Rather, they appropriately recognize and categorize findings, and then, having narrowed the possibilities, they do the necessary additional research in order to appropriately diagnose and treat the patient. This case-based volume focuses not on the diseases themselves, but rather on the clinical methods used to identify neurologic diseases, and the method is disarmingly simple. The cases in this book are a fascinating collection of oddities and rarities, but the diseases themselves in this book are merely the vessel through which clinical reasoning is taught. By the end of the book, readers are empowered with a foundation they can apply in their own clinical practice. Cover How to Think Like a Neurologist Copyright Dedication Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1. How to think like a neurologist Introduction What is pace? What is localization? What is the syndrome? What is the clinical context? What is the differential diagnosis? Organization of the remaining chapters 2. A woman with rapid onset of aphasia What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Clinical course and additional information What is the localization? Conclusion 3. A woman with sudden numbness What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 4. A woman who couldn’t hold a cigarette in her mouth What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 5. A woman who didn’t realize she couldn’t see half the world What is the pace? What is the localization? Additional information What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 6. A woman who developed weakness after windsurfing What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 7. A man who became unresponsive What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 8. A woman who appeared intoxicated What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 9. A man who appeared jumpy What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 10. A woman who only ate fast food What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 11. A woman whose cruise was cut short What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Additional information Conclusion 12. A man who began to drool What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Additional information Conclusion 13. A woman with pain and difficulty walking What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the differential diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 14. A woman who collapsed in a train station What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the differential diagnosis? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 15. A man with symptoms that improved throughout the day What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Additional information What is the differential diagnosis? Clinical course and additional information Conclusion 16. A woman who bit her nails in public What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 17. A woman who fell in the shower What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 18. A woman with cough and neurologic deterioration What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the differential diagnosis? What is the differential diagnosis? Clinical course and additional information What is the context? Conclusion 19. A man with dyspnea and orthopnea What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion Bonus question: Can we explain his dyspnea and orthopnea? 20. A man with difficulty walking and spasms in his legs What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 21. A woman with recurrent episodes of confusion and stiffness What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Additional information Conclusion 22. A man who could only see half of La Sagrada Familia What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 23. A boy who could no longer ride his bike What is the pace? What is the localization? Clinical course and additional information What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 24. A woman with loss of consciousness while driving What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the localization? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 25. A man with painful feet What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 26. A man with difficulty climbing the stairs What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the pace? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 27. A man with pain in his arms What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Additional information Conclusion 28. A man with painful, blurry vision What is the pace? What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 29. A woman with blurry vision and difficulty driving What is the pace? What is the localization? Clinical course and additional information What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion 30. A woman with a tingling scalp What is the pace? What is the localization? Additional information What is the localization? What is the syndromic diagnosis? What is the etiologic diagnosis? Conclusion Index How to Think Like a Neurologist flips the neurology educational narrative on its head and attempts to lift the veil of neurophobia to show how neurologists use critical thinking and clinical reasoning to diagnose neurologic diseases.This book aims to provide a practical representation of the modern-day practice of medicine, where the good clinical neurologist is no longer seen as somebody who somehow carries encyclopedic knowledge of every medical condition. Rather, they appropriately recognize and categorize findings, and then, having narrowed the possibilities, they do the necessary additional research in order to appropriately diagnose and treat the patient.This case-based volume focuses not on the diseases themselves, but rather on the clinical methods used to identify neurologic diseases, and the method is disarmingly simple. The cases in this book are a fascinating collection of oddities and rarities, but the diseases themselves in this book are merely the vessel through which clinical reasoning is taught. By the end of the book, readers are empowered with a foundation they can apply in their own clinical practice.