John Patten Neurological Differential Diagnosis PDF: A Streamlined Handbook of Prioritized Differential Diagnosis
John Patten Neurological Differential Diagnosis PDF Free Download
If you are looking for a comprehensive and practical guide to neurological differential diagnosis, you might be interested in John Patten's book. In this article, we will explain what neurological differential diagnosis is, who John Patten is and why his book is important, and how to get his book in PDF format for free.
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What is Neurological Differential Diagnosis?
Neurological differential diagnosis is the process of identifying the possible causes of a patient's neurological symptoms based on their history, examination, and investigations. It is an essential skill for neurologists, neurosurgeons, and other clinicians who deal with patients with neurological disorders.
Definition and importance of neurological differential diagnosis
According to John Patten, neurological differential diagnosis is "the art of separating diseases with similar symptoms but different causes" . It is based on the principle that different diseases can produce similar signs and symptoms, but each disease has its own distinctive features that can help narrow down the diagnosis. For example, a patient with weakness in the right arm and leg could have a stroke, a brain tumor, multiple sclerosis, or a peripheral nerve injury. By taking a detailed history, performing a thorough examination, and ordering appropriate investigations, the clinician can identify the most likely cause of the patient's weakness.
Neurological differential diagnosis is important for several reasons. First, it helps to provide an accurate diagnosis for the patient, which can guide the treatment plan and prognosis. Second, it helps to avoid unnecessary or harmful interventions that might be based on a wrong diagnosis. Third, it helps to prevent missing rare or serious conditions that might have similar symptoms to more common or benign ones. Fourth, it helps to improve the quality of care and patient satisfaction by reducing diagnostic errors and delays.
Common methods and tools for neurological differential diagnosis
The main methods and tools for neurological differential diagnosis are:
History taking: This involves asking the patient about their symptoms, onset, duration, frequency, severity, aggravating and relieving factors, associated features, past medical history, family history, medications, allergies, social history, and other relevant information. The history can provide clues about the possible causes of the patient's symptoms and help to generate a list of differential diagnoses.
Physical examination: This involves inspecting, palpating, percussing, auscultating, and testing the patient's various body systems, with a focus on the neurological system. The examination can reveal signs that support or exclude certain diagnoses. For example, a patient with weakness in the right arm and leg might have an upper motor neuron lesion if they have increased muscle tone, exaggerated reflexes, and positive Babinski sign; or a lower motor neuron lesion if they have decreased muscle tone, reduced reflexes, and muscle wasting.
Laboratory tests: These include blood tests, urine tests, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, genetic tests, and other tests that can measure various biomarkers or indicators of disease. Laboratory tests can help to confirm or rule out certain diagnoses based on the presence or absence of abnormal values. For example, a patient with weakness in the right arm and leg might have a stroke if they have elevated blood glucose, cholesterol, or inflammatory markers; or a peripheral nerve injury if they have low vitamin B12 or folate levels.
Imaging studies: These include X-rays, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and other techniques that can produce images of the internal structures of the body. Imaging studies can help to visualize the location, size, shape, and characteristics of lesions or abnormalities that might cause the patient's symptoms. For example, a patient with weakness in the right arm and leg might have a stroke if they have an area of reduced blood flow or tissue damage in the left side of the brain; or a brain tumor if they have a mass or growth in the brain.
Electrophysiological tests: These include electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies (NCS), evoked potentials (EP), and other techniques that can measure the electrical activity of the brain, muscles, and nerves. Electrophysiological tests can help to assess the function and integrity of the nervous system and detect any abnormalities that might affect the patient's symptoms. For example, a patient with weakness in the right arm and leg might have multiple sclerosis if they have abnormal brain waves or delayed nerve responses; or a peripheral nerve injury if they have reduced nerve signals or muscle responses.
These methods and tools are not mutually exclusive and can be used in combination to achieve a more accurate and reliable neurological differential diagnosis.
Who is John Patten and why is his book important?
John Patten was a British neurologist who wrote one of the most popular and influential books on neurological differential diagnosis. In this section, we will briefly introduce his biography and achievements, and provide an overview and features of his book Neurological Differential Diagnosis.
Biography and achievements of John Patten
John Patten was born in 1935 in London, England. He studied medicine at St Thomas' Hospital Medical School and graduated in 1959. He then trained in neurology at various hospitals in London, Oxford, and Edinburgh. He became a consultant neurologist at St Thomas' Hospital in 1971 and remained there until his retirement in 2000. He also held academic positions at King's College London and the Institute of Neurology. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians in 1976 and the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Medicine in 1984. He died in 2017 at the age of 82 .
John Patten was known for his clinical expertise, teaching skills, and research contributions in neurology. He published over 100 papers on various topics such as stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, dystonia, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and neurogenetics. He also wrote several books on neurology, including Neurological Emergencies (1978), Clinical Neurology (1982), Neurological Examination Made Easy (1992), and Neurological Differential Diagnosis (1996). His books were widely used by students, trainees, and practitioners around the world .
Overview and features of his book Neurological Differential Diagnosis
Neurological Differential Diagnosis is a book that provides a comprehensive and practical guide to neurological differential diagnosis. It was first published in 1977 by Springer-Verlag and has been revised and updated several times since then. The latest edition was published in 1996 and has 449 pages .
The book is divided into two parts: Part I covers general principles of neurological differential diagnosis, such as history taking, examination, investigations, localization, syndromes, signs, symptoms, diseases, and disorders; Part II covers specific topics of neurological differential diagnosis, such as headache, facial pain, visual disturbances, hearing loss, vertigo, dysphagia, dysarthria, aphasia, amnesia, dementia, seizures, coma, hemiplegia, hemiparesis... 71b2f0854b