STEP 2 CK Content Outline

Diseases of the Nervous System and Special Senses

Health and Health Maintenance

  • Cerebrovascular disease, cerebral infarction
  • Nutritional deficiencies, toxic injuries, and occupational disorders including lead, carbon monoxide, and organophosphate poisoning
  • Infection involving the nervous system, eyes, or ears
  • Degenerative and demyelinating disorders, including Alzheimer disease and multiple sclerosis

Mechanisms of Disease

  • Localizing anatomy:
    • brain and special senses
    • brain stem
    • spinal cord
    • neuromuscular system
  • Anatomy of cerebral circulation
  • Increased intracranial pressure and altered state of consciousness
  • Infection
  • Degenerative/developmental and metabolic disorders

Diagnosis

  • Disorders of the eye (eg, blindness; glaucoma; infection; papilledema; optic atrophy; retinal disorders; diabetic retinopathy; diplopia; cataract; neoplasms; vascular disorders; uveitis; iridocyclitis; traumatic, toxic injury; toxoplasmosis)
  • Disorders of the ear, olfaction, and taste (eg, deafness, hearing loss, otitis, mastoiditis; vertigo, tinnitus, Meniere disease; acoustic neuroma; traumatic, toxic injury)
  • Disorders of the nervous system:
    • paroxysmal disorders (eg, headache; trigeminal neuralgia; seizure disorders; syncope)
    • cerebrovascular disease (eg, intracerebral hemorrhage; ischemic disorders; aneurysm, subarachnoid hemorrhage; cavernous sinus thrombosis)
    • traumatic, toxic injury; including lead, carbon monoxide, and organophosphate poisoning
    • infections (eg, bacterial, fungal, viral, opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients; Lyme disease; abscess; neurosyphilis; Guillain-Barré syndrome)
    • neoplasms (eg, primary; metastatic; neurofibromatosis)
    • metabolic disorders (eg, metabolic encephalopathy, vitamin B12 [cobalamin] deficiency, vitamin B1 [thiamine] deficiency; coma, confusion, delirium, dementia)
    • degenerative and developmental disorders (eg, Alzheimer disease; Huntington disease; parkinsonism; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Tay-Sachs disease; multiple sclerosis; cerebral palsy; dyslexia)
    • neuromuscular disorders, gait abnormalities, and disorders relating to the spine and spinal nerve roots (eg, myasthenia gravis; muscular dystrophy; peripheral neuropathy; neck pain; cervical radiculopathy; lumbosacral radiculopathy; spinal stenosis)
    • sleep disorders (eg, narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnolence, restless legs syndrome, REM sleep behavior disorder, circadian rhythm sleep disorder, sleep apnea)

Principles of Management
(With emphasis on topics covered in Diagnosis)

  • Pharmacotherapy only
  • Management decision (treatment/diagnosis steps)
  • Treatment only