Surgery

351 Surg

The objective of a neurological exam is threefold

To identify an abnormality in the nervous system
To differentiated peripheral from central nervous system lesions
To establish internal consistency, i.e. does the patient cooperate fully? and are the findings in a specific patient only a variant of normality
Preparing the Patient and yourself for the exam

The neurological exam
The neurological exam can be divided into seven areas. The outline below should be memorized. Having immediate recall of this outline allows the examiner to quickly proceed through the exam without omitting any sections. The exam should be performed in an organized, step-wise manner.

Please choose a lesson by clicking on it
I General Appearance, including posture, motor activity, vital signs and perhaps meningeal signs if indicated

II Mini Mental Status Exam, including speech observation.

III Cranial Nerves, I through XII.

IV Motor System, including muscle atrophy, tone and power.

V Sensory System, including vibration, position, pin prick, temperature, light touch and higher sensory functions.

VI Reflexes, including deep tendon reflexes, clonus, Hoffman's response and plantar reflex.

VII Coordination, gait and Rhomberg's Test

Examining the comatose patient