head and neck assessment Flashcards
Anatomy of the head
cranial bones are joined by immovable sutures in adults. only mandible is movable
Cranial bones
frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, ethmoid, sphenoid
sutures
sagittal, coronal, lambdoid, squamosal
Facial bones
maxilla, zygomatic, lacrimal, palatine, vomer, mandible, nasal, inferior conchae
Anterior triangle of the neck
hyoid bone, trachea, larynx, major blood vessels, thyroid gland
Muscles and landmarks in the neck
sternocleidomastoid rotates and flexes head. trapezius extends head, moves shoulders, 11th cranial nerve.
Lymph nodes of the neck
preauricular, posterior auricular, occipital, superficial cervical, deep cervical chain, posterior cervical, tonsillar, submental, submandibular, supraclavicular
What happens when a nurse notices an enlarged lymph node?
need to know where receives drainage from
Preauricular nodes
in front of ear
Posterior auricular nodes
lie superficial to the mastoid process
Occipital nodes
at the base of the skull
Superficial cervical nodes
overlay the sternocleidomastoid muscle
Deep cervical chain nodes
deep to the sternocleidomastoid
Posterior cervical nodes
appear in the posterior triangle along the edge of the trapezius muscle.
Tonsillar nodes
angle of mandible
Submandibular nodes
found halfway between the angle of the mandible and its tip
Submental nodes
midline under the chin
Supraclavicular nodes
located just above and behind the clavicle, at the sternocleidomastoid muscle
Inspect the head
size - microcephaly, acromegaly. shape, configuration
Inspect the face
symmetry, features, movement, expression, skin condition
Palpate the head
note consistency, temporal artery, TMJ - swelling, tenderness, crepitation (crackling sound)
Inspect neck (slightly extended)
position, symmetry, lumps, masses, movements - swallowing water observe thyroid, normal rom. cervical vertebrae (look down), see c7
Palpate neck
trachea - midline, thyroid gland - midline (from the back), swallowing right/left separate
Auscultate neck
if enlarged thyroid, use bell, hold breath