Seminars in neurology
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The clinical neurologist frequently encounters patients with a variety of focal sensory symptoms and signs. This article reviews the clinical features, etiologies, laboratory findings, and management of the common sensory mononeuropathies including meralgia paresthetica, cheiralgia paresthetica, notalgia paresthetica, gonyalgia paresthetica, digitalgia paresthetica, intercostal neuropathy, and mental neuropathy.
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Observations on the neurologic signs and symptoms of Count Dracula, Wolfman, and Frankenstein's Monster are presented as viewed by a specialist in neuromuscular disease. Key clinical features of these horror movie figures illustrate a variety of pearls in the diagnosis of a variety of neurologic disorders, including porphyria, lead poisoning, osteosclerotic myeloma, and myasthenia gravis.
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Seminars in neurology · Jan 1997
ReviewEthical issues in the management of chronic nonmalignant pain.
Chronic pain represents a challenge to patients, families, employers, and the physicians who care for these individuals. Opioids remain the mainstay of the analgesic medications for the treatment of both acute and chronic pain. Controlled release preparations of morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl and long acting opioid agents such as methadone and levorphanol have been medically and ethically accepted in managing chronic cancer pain. ⋯ Although most patients on the opioid regimen do well, special attention must be given to patients with current addiction, a past history of addiction, or current misuse of opioid medications. Pharmacologic and conservative interventions are often warranted in those patients with significant behavioral problems. If such strategies fail, and chronic opioid therapy is deemed necessary, some treatment guidelines are offered.
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With the increasing acceptance of the right of patients to refuse life-sustaining treatment, some have argued that terminally ill patients have a corollary right to physician-assisted suicide (PAS) on request. However, there are important moral and legal distinctions between patients' refusals of therapy and requests for certain actions. Physicians must stop life-sustaining therapy when that therapy has been validly refused by patients. ⋯ The morality of PAS is debatable but it remains illegal in most jurisdictions. Advocates of legalizing PAS should fully understand three issues: (1) that such legalization would have a negative effect on the practice of palliative care and on the physician-patient relationship; (2) that legalization of voluntary euthanasia will follow the legalization of PAS; and (3) that involuntary euthanasia inevitably follows the legalization of voluntary euthanasia, as has occurred in the Netherlands over the past 12 years. Rather than suffer the harms resulting from legalizing PAS, our society should maintain its illegality and make an expanded effort to improve physicians' training and abilities to provide palliative care.