Cranial Nerve Exmination Flashcards
What are the mnemonics to remember the 12 CN ?
Oh Oh Oh To Touch And Feel Very Good Vagina Ah Heaven
Some Say Money Matters But My Brother Say Big Brain Matters Most
What are the test of the olfactory nerve ?
Smell test on indication.
First check nasal patency then test one nostril at a time then hold various familiar substance under open nostril.
Clinical significance of CN 1 findings ?
Anosmia : rhinitis, minor head injury
Hyposmia : neurodegenerative disease
Parosmia : generally cacosmia, temporal lobe problems
What are the test of the optic nerve ?
Visual acuity
- must be intact
Visual field :
- test all for quadrant for both eyes one at a time
- test both eyes together : to test higher cerebral function
Fundoscopy
Pupillary light reflex
- AFLR
What are the main type of visual field lesion ?
Prechiasmatic lesion : lost of visual field in one eye
- problem in optic nerve
- glaucoma, optic neuritis
- amaurosis
Chiasmatic lesion : defect in both temporal visual field
- Bitemporal hemianopia
- pituitary tumor
Homonymous hemianopia : both eyes have the same field side affected
- complete loss of left or right visual field
What is visual inatention ?
When in Donders test the patient can only see one movement (and not both) when both field are tested simultaneously but there was no problem on that side while testing separately.
Interpretation of fundoscopy ?
Papillary oedema : intracranial hypertension, ischaemia, retrobulbar neuritis
Preretinal hemorrhage : subarachnoid hemorrhage
Pupillary light reflex pathway ?
Afferent :
- optic nerve, chiasm, optic tract
- pretectal nucleus in midbrain
- Edinger Westphal nuclei = accessory oculomotor nucleus
Efferent :
- parasympathetic tract of oculomotor nerve
- ciliary ganglion to pupillary sphincter
Function of oculomotor nerve ?
Pupil constriction and dilatation
Lens accommodation.
Raising upper eyelids.
Eye movement except : looking laterally and looking internally down (towards the tip of the nose)
Function of trochlear and abducens nerve ?
Trochlear : innervate superior oblique muscle
- look inward down : tip of nose
Abducens : lateral rectus
- look laterally
What test do you perform for CN 3, 4, 6 ?
Pupillary light reflex
Ocular alignement = Hirschberg test
- shine light 30 cm away
Eye movement
Convergence response
- 1 m away then move it quickly toward them and see adaptation
What are abnormality of the ocular alignment called ?
Esotropia : abnormal inward deviation
Exotropia : abnormal outward deviation
Hypertropia : abnormal upward deviation
Hypotropia : abnormal downward deviation
Technique of eye movement test ?
Patient follow your finger at a 30-60 cm distance, with their eyes without moving the head.
Patient gaze shouldn’t be diverted more than 45° : limit of binocular vision. Larger angle cause physiological nystagmus.
Check :
- nystagmus within 45° angle
- diplopia
Clinical significance of ptosis ?
Loss of sympathetic fibers of CN 3 : superior tarsal muscle :
- ipsilateral pupil is dilated
Horner’s syndrome : slightly constricted pupil => miosis
Loss of motor fibres of CN 3 : levator palpebrae muscle
- other eye muscle also affected
Muscular disease => bilateral ptosis
Findings of oculomotor nerve lesion ?
Affected pupil doesn’t have a direct light reflex : efferent defect of the eye
Type of strabismus ?
Paralytic strabismus : one of the muscle is lost
- angle of deviation increase when looking in the direction of action of affected muscle
Concomitant strabismus : angle of deviation remains the same when looking in any direction
What is gaze palsy ?
When there’s no diplopia but both eyes cannot be moved to a certain position
It’s indicative of a central disorder.