Neuro Exam

Question 1

two parts to gathering information

Answer 1

1. clinical interview

2. neuro exam

Question 2

clinical interview: what brought them into the clinic?

Answer 2

chief complaint

Question 3

clinical interview: how did the symptoms start, evolve, anything associated with it?

Answer 3

history of presenting illness

Question 4

clinical interview: inquire about the patient prior to the illness

Answer 4

medical history
family history
social history

Question 5

clinical interview: examine all major organs

Answer 5

general examination

Question 6

neurological examination is organized into 5 parts

Answer 6

1. mental status and higher functions
2. cranial nerves
3. motor system (gain, bulk, tone, power, coordination, adventitious movements)
4. sensory system
5. reflexes

Question 7

3 parts to the cognitive evaluation

Answer 7

1. formulating the clinical vignette
2. localize
3. possible etiologies/diagnosis

Question 8

formulating the clinical vignette

Answer 8

integrate all the information from the clinical interview

a cohesive abstraction of what’s going on

Question 9

localize

Answer 9

the region - tell where the problem is

advantages: make diagnostic testing more specific, can give clues about etiology

Question 10

potential etiologies/diagnosis

Answer 10

use vignette + location to get differential diagnosis (list of possibilities)
set of hypothesis that can then be tested

Question 11

symptoms

Answer 11

subjective - patient reports this

Question 12

sign

Answer 12

objective - you watch and see it

Question 13

acute

Answer 13

happens because blood or electricity messes up in the brain

Question 14

subacute

Answer 14

occur by inflammatory, infection or some cancers

Question 15

chronic

Answer 15

cancers, alzheimer’s