CN Signs Flashcards
Olfactory change
Trauma
URTI
Meningitis
Frontal lobe tumour
Light pupil reflex and where damage is
- light from retina up CN II to superior colliculus in midbrain then to CN III nuclei on both sides. CN III= constriction.
- IF contralateral constriction only- efferent defect.
- marcus gunn sign of relative afferent pupillary defect- incomplete afferent damage. Affected pupil dilates when light switched to it from good pupil. As consensual relaxation response from normal eye predominates due to partial damage.
Papilloedema
RICP:
Tumour, abcess, encephalitis, hydrocephalus, idiopathic IC HTN.
CNIII palsy down and out
Ptosis
Large pupil (mydriasis)
Down and out when look straight
CN IV palsy nasal upshoot
Affected eye looks up and in due to unopposed inferior oblique when look medially and down.
Diplopia on looking down and in
Compensatory head tilt. Because superior oblique has role in intortion.
Cant walk down stairs
CN VI palsy crossed-most common EO palsy
Horizontal diplopia on looking out.
Cant abduct affected eye, and slight adducted when look ahead.
Nystagmus
Cerebellar- horizontal towards affected side
Vestibular- horizontal away from affected side
Midbrain or base 4th ventricle lesion- vertical up
FM lesion- vertical down
Nystagmus lasting 2 beats or less is normal.
Also normal at extremes of gaze.
Bells plasy
Total facial droop and weakness one side face
LMN defect so forehead affected.
UMN lesion forehead sparing eg stroke due to bilateral innervation of temoral s.
LMN lesion
Hyporeflexia
Hypotonia
Fasciculation
Muscle wasting
UMN lesion
Hyperreflexia Hypertonia Clonus Babinski No wasting Positive Hoffmann- flick middle finger= thumb flexion in UMN lesion.
blind spot
Large in papilloedema.
Blind spot is in nasal part of retina so in temporal field.
Trigeminal sensory
Angle of jaw spared as innervated by C2
Muscles of mastication
Temporalis wasting easily seen
Masseter
Open against resistance tests pterygoids, mylohyoid, anterior digastric.
Corneal reflex
Afferent CN Va
Efferent CN VII
Tongue deviation
Towards abnormal side
Uvula deviation
away from side of CN X lesion when say ah
Tongue
Wasting and fasciculation- LMN lesion
Stiff, non wasted, hyperreflexive- UMN lesion
Deviates towards CN XII lesion.
Rinnes
Negative= BC better than AC indicates conductive loss on that side.
Webers
Localises TOWARDS conduction loss.
AWAY from sensorineural loss.
Gag reflex
Afferent CN IX
Efferent CN X
Accommodation
Afferent CN II to lateral geniculate bodies, to pre tectal nucleus, to PNS nuclei of CN III= constriction.
Pupils
- irregular- iritis, trauma, syphillis.
- dilated- CN III lesion, drugs.
- constricted- age, SNS damage eg horners, opiates, miotics eg pilocarpine, pons damage.
- unequal (anisocoria)- unilateral lesion, eye surgery, eye drops, syphillis.
Ptosis
Dropping upper eyelid
CN III to LPS
Cervical SNS chain to superior tarsal
-CN III lesion= unilateral complete ptosis
-SNS paralysis (horner)= unilateral partial ptosis.
-myopathy (MG)- bilateral partial ptosis
-congential- usually partial and no other CNS signs.
Visual field problem
Stroke
SOL
Glaucoma
CN I lesion cause
Trauma
RTI
Meningitis
Frontal lobe tumour
CN II lesion cause
- monocular blindness (lesion one eye or ON)- MS, arteritis .
- bilateral blind- DM, MS, syphillis.
- bitemporal hemianopia- chiasm compression eg pituitary adenoma, CA aneurysm.
- homonymous hemianopia (tracts, radiation or occipital cortex)- stroke, abcess, tumour.
CN III lesion cause
Posterior communicating A aneurysm (main one)= diplopia and dilated pupil.
RICP
Tumour
Vasculopathies- DM, HTN, Arteritis
CN IV lesion cause
Rarely isolated CN IV lesion
Long and thin - through cavernous sinus with CN III, IV, Va+b, ICA.
Congenital main one- see compensatory head tilt as child.
Orbital trauma/closed head injury.
Cavernous sinus thrombosis, infection track back.
Tumours
Vasculopathies eg DM.
CN V lesion cause
Trigeminal neuralgia (compression= pain Vb/c)
HZV
Nasopharyngeal CA
Acoustic neuroma
Cavernous sinus lesion loss corneal reflex.
Facial fracture.