ATI RN
Pediatric Neurology Practice Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
The MOST common presenting complaint of intramedullary spinal cord tumors is
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Back pain is the most common presenting symptom of intramedullary spinal cord tumors (~70%), per studies, from local mass effect. Gait , sensory , scoliosis , and urinary issufollow. Pains prominence makes D the correct answer.
Question 2 of 5
A 12-year-old female experiencacute monocular blindness of 2 days duration. Past history includuncharacterized headachfor 3 years, one episode of diplopia, and one of paresthesias of the feet, unrelated in time. Physical exam is unremarkable except reduced visual acuity. The most important diagnostic step is
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: MRI is the most important step for acute monocular blindness lasting 2 days, with prior headaches, diplopia, and paresthesias. This suggests a neurologic etiology like migraine with prolonged aura, demyelination (e.g., MS), or stroke. MRIs superior soft-tissue resolution detects white matter lesions, infarcts, or inflammation, critical for differential diagnosis. CT identifihemorrhage but misssubtle pathology. EEG assessseizures, irrelevant here without convulsion. Nerve conduction and biopsy target peripheral nerves, not central vision loss. MRIs diagnostic yield, per AAN guidelines, make B the correct answer, addressing the broad symptom spectrum.
Question 3 of 5
The average time of closure of the posterior fontanel is
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The posterior fontanel closat 2 months on average, per pediatric standards. Smaller than the anterior, it fusby 1-3 months postnatally as occipital suturmature. Two weeks is too early, while 12-20 months (C-E) apply to the anterior fontanel or anomalies. Early closure reflects rapid posterior skull growth cessation. Clinical observations (e.g., AAP) establish 2 months as the norm, making B the correct answer, distinct from longer anterior timelines.
Question 4 of 5
Characteristics of simple partial seizurinclude all of the following EXCEPT
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Simple partial seizurlack loss of consciousness , per ILAE, preserving awareness during focal motor (versive, B), sensory, or autonomic events lasting 10-20 seconds without postictal confusion . Abnormal EEG is typical. Loss of consciousness defincomplex partial seizures, not simple ones. This awareness distinction, rooted in seizure classification, makes A the exception and correct answer.
Question 5 of 5
Migraine variants and complications include all of the following EXCEPT
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Migraine variants include cyclic vomiting , amaurosis fugax , alternating hemiplegia , and confusional stat, per ICHD-3, tied to migraine pathophysiology. Cluster headachare a distinct trigeminal-autonomic cephalalgia, not a migraine variant, with different featur(e.g., unilateral autonomic signs). This nosologic separation makes A the exception and correct answer.