Stroke, Seizure and Headache
Use onset, localisation and red flags to manage vascular, epileptic and headache emergencies.
How to prepare for MRCP(UK) Part 1
Use the official likely question distribution to plan breadth, then connect mechanisms, patterns and investigations to one most appropriate answer.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Acute neurology starts with ABCDE, glucose, onset and focused localisation.
Exam cue: Record last-known-well and pathway contraindications.
Concept 2
Time-critical treatment should not wait for diagnostic perfection when the syndrome is clear.
Exam cue: Distinguish primary headache from secondary danger.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Missing hypoglycaemia in focal deficit.
Guardrail: Do not select an option merely because it is true; choose the one that best answers the exact stem and fits the full pattern.
Delaying emergency treatment for non-essential tests.
Guardrail: Do not delay stabilisation or specialist escalation for a test that will not change immediate care.
Memory anchors
What frames acute stroke?
Onset, deficit, glucose, imaging, haemorrhage or occlusion, contraindications and specialist pathway.
What follows an ongoing seizure?
Protect airway, time it, give indicated emergency treatment and address reversible causes.
What makes headache dangerous?
Thunderclap onset, neurological deficit, systemic illness, raised-pressure features or high-risk context.
What is post-seizure assessment for?
Confirm recovery, identify trigger, distinguish mimic and plan recurrence safety.
Why does localisation matter?
The pattern of deficit identifies the affected neuroanatomical level and narrows cause.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
A 72-year-old man develops sudden right facial and arm weakness with aphasia 45 minutes ago. What is the first imaging test?
A patient with acute ischaemic stroke has a proximal large-vessel occlusion and was last known well 2 hours ago. Which treatment should be considered urgently in addition to intravenous thrombolysis eligibility?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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