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A 14-Year-Old Girl Is Brought to the Emergency Department Due

question 54

Multiple Choice

A 14-year-old girl is brought to the emergency department due to progressive weakness in the lower limbs for 3 weeks. Her parents first noticed clumsiness, which has progressed to difficulty walking over the last week. The patient had a fever, cough, and congestion about 1 month ago and has otherwise been well. She has a history of high plantar arches requiring orthotics and mild scoliosis. The patient takes no medication and has no allergies. Her parents and 2 older siblings are healthy. Vital signs are normal. On examination, she has a wide-based gait and has difficulty maintaining balance without assistance. Strength is 2/5 in the lower extremities and 5/5 in the upper extremities. There is decreased vibratory and position sense in the lower extremities. MRI shows cervical spinal cord atrophy. When discussing the most likely diagnosis with the patient's parents, which of the following statements is most accurate?

Definitions:

Expert Witnesses

Professionals with specialized knowledge or expertise in a particular field, called upon to provide testimony in legal proceedings to assist in understanding evidence or fact determinations.

Guidelines

Recommended practices or principles aimed at steering decisions or actions, usually based on evidence or expert consensus.

Direct Evidence

Evidence that directly proves a fact without the need for any inference or presumption, such as testimony from a witness about what they personally observed.

Circumstantial Evidence

Evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact, such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime, rather than direct evidence like eyewitness testimony.