Continuum : Lifelong Learning in Neurology

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

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In Continuum's 30-year history, the journal has adapted to meet the education needs of its subscribers, readers, and listeners to support high-quality patient care. The journal's evolution continues with new topics and an updated topic rotation, new audio experiences with Continuum Audio and Continuum Aloud, inclusion of health equity content, a new nonclinical section covering various topics important to the practice of neurology, and a commitment to the global audience of neurology clinicians. Continuum will continue to evolve in the years and decades to come with the goal of helping clinicians take the best possible care of patients with neurologic illness...

OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the effects of myelopathy on multiple organ systems and reviews the treatment and management of some of these effects. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Recent advances in functional electrical stimulation, epidural spinal cord stimulation, robotics, and surgical techniques such as nerve transfer show promise in improving function in patients with myelopathy. Ongoing research in stem cell therapy and neurotherapeutic drugs may provide further therapeutic avenues in the future...

OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment of metabolic and toxic myelopathies resulting from nutritional deficiencies, environmental and dietary toxins, drugs of abuse, systemic medical illnesses, and oncologic treatments. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Increased use of bariatric surgery for obesity has led to higher incidences of deficiencies in nutrients such as vitamin B12 and copper, which can cause subacute combined degeneration...

OBJECTIVE: Immune-mediated myelopathies are conditions in which the immune system attacks the spinal cord. This article describes the distinguishing characteristics of immune-mediated myelopathies and treatment strategies for patients affected by these disorders. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: New biomarkers, such as aquaporin 4 and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies, in the blood and spinal fluid have led to the identification of antigen-specific immune-mediated myelopathies and approved therapies to prevent disease progression...

OBJECTIVE: Vascular injuries of the spinal cord are less common than those involving the brain; however, they can be equally devastating. This article discusses the diagnosis and management of ischemic and hemorrhagic vascular disorders of the spinal cord. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Clinical suspicion remains the mainstay for recognizing vascular myelopathies, yet diagnoses are often delayed and challenging in part because of their rarity and atypical manifestations. Noninvasive imaging such as CT and MRI continues to improve in spatial resolution and diagnostic precision; however, catheter-based spinal angiography remains the gold standard for defining the spinal angioarchitecture...

OBJECTIVE: Infectious myelopathy of any stage and etiology carries the potential for significant morbidity and mortality. This article details the clinical presentation, risk factors, and key diagnostic components of infectious myelopathies with the goal of improving the recognition of these disorders and guiding subsequent management. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Despite our era of advanced multimodal imaging and laboratory diagnostic technology, a causative organism often remains unidentified in suspected infectious and parainfectious myelopathy cases...

OBJECTIVE: This article provides an overview of genetic myelopathies, a diverse group of inherited, degenerative conditions that may be broadly categorized as motor neuron disorders, disorders of spinocerebellar degeneration, leukodystrophies, and hereditary spastic paraplegia. Clinical examples from each category are provided to illustrate the spectrum of genetic myelopathies and their distinguishing features that aid in differentiating genetic myelopathies from potentially treatable acquired causes of myelopathy...

OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the diagnostic approach to patients with suspected neoplasms of the spinal cord and reviews the most common primary and metastatic spinal neoplasms and their presentations. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Neoplasms of the spinal cord are rare entities that can involve the spinal cord parenchyma, the dura and leptomeninges, or the extradural space. The most common intramedullary spinal cord neoplasms are primary spinal cord tumors, including ependymomas, pilocytic astrocytomas, and diffuse midline gliomas...

OBJECTIVE: This article illustrates the clinical importance, diagnosis, and management of degenerative and nondegenerative structural myelopathies. It also aims to create a diagnostic approach for the evaluation of patients with suspected degenerative myelopathies. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: There is considerable interest in developing diagnostic methods that can assist in deciding if surgery is indicated in patients with structural myelopathy and the optimal timing for surgery...

OBJECTIVE: This article provides a review of the initial clinical and radiologic evaluation and treatment of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries. It specifically highlights essential knowledge for neurologists who encounter patients with these complex injuries. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: There has been improvement in the care of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries, particularly in the prehospital evaluation, approach for immediate immobilization, standardized spinal clearance, efficient triage, and transportation of appropriate patients to traumatic spinal cord injury specialized centers...

OBJECTIVE: This article describes an integrative strategy to evaluate patients with suspected myelopathy, provides advice on diagnostic approach, and outlines the framework for the etiologic diagnosis of myelopathies. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Advances in diagnostic neuroimaging techniques of the spinal cord and improved understanding of the immune pathogenic mechanisms associated with spinal cord disorders have expanded the knowledge of inflammatory and noninflammatory myelopathies...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.