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Dementia 02

Topic: Imaging

Created on Thursday, February 22 2007 by jdmiles

Last modified on Thursday, February 22 2007.

A 78 year-old male presents to your office accompanied by his caretaker, who provides most of the history.
The caretaker states that for the past 2 years, the patient has had periods when he is lethargic and drowsy, and others when he is more alert, developed a tremor, has fallen several times, occasionally mentions that he is seeing visions of ugly indigo tortoises, has complained of rigidity, and has had more and more trouble remembering things.
Which of the following pathology findings is MOST characteristic of this patient's disease?

A) Amyloid plaques

B) Lesions in the mammillary bodies

C) Eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions

D) Eosinophilic nuclear inclusions

E) Neurofibrillary tangles,

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This question was created on February 22, 2007 by jdmiles.
This question was last modified on February 22, 2007.

ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

A) amyloid plaques

This answer is incorrect.

This patient's history is consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Patients with DLB develop Parkinsonian symptoms and dementia symptoms at approximately the same time. Other key clinical features include recurrent visual hallucinations and fluctuations in mental status. Amyloid plaques are seen in DLB, but widespread Lewy bodies are a more defining feature. (See References)


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B) lesions in the mammillary bodies

This answer is incorrect.

This patient's history is consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Patients with DLB develop Parkinsonian symptoms and dementia symptoms at approximately the same time. Other key clinical features include recurrent visual hallucinations and fluctuations in mental status. Lesions in the mammillary bodies are seen in Korsakoff amnestic state. (See References)


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C) eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions

This answer is correct.

This patient's history is consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Patients with DLB develop Parkinsonian symptoms and dementia symptoms at approximately the same time. Other key clinical features include recurrent visual hallucinations and fluctuations in mental status. Lewy bodies are eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions which contain alpha-synuclein. (See References)


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D) eosinophilic nuclear inclusions

This answer is incorrect.

This patient's history is consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Patients with DLB develop Parkinsonian symptoms and dementia symptoms at approximately the same time. Other key clinical features include recurrent visual hallucinations and fluctuations in mental status. Lewy bodies are eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions. (See References)


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E) neurofibrillary tangles,

This answer is incorrect.

This patient's history is consistent with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Patients with DLB develop Parkinsonian symptoms and dementia symptoms at approximately the same time. Other key clinical features include recurrent visual hallucinations and fluctuations in mental status. Neurofibrillary tangles tend to be sparse in DLB. Neurofibrillary are more commonly associated with Alzheimer disease. (See References)


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References:

1. Victor, M., and Ropper, A.H. (2001). Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology, 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York.
2. DeKosky, S.T., Kaufer, D.I., and Lopez, O.L. (2004). The Dementias. In Bradley, W.G., Daroff, R.B., Fenichel, G.M., and Jankovic, J. (Eds.). Neurology in Clinical Practice, 4th Edition. Butterworth Heinemann, Philadelphia. Pp. 1901-1951
3. Prayson, R.A., and Goldblum, J.R. (Eds.) (2005). Neuropathology. Elsevier, Philadelphia.


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imaging
Dementia 02
Question ID: 02220701
Question written by J. Douglas Miles, (C) 2006-2009, all rights reserved.
Created: 02/22/2007
Modified: 02/22/2007
Estimated Permutations: 0