Neurological Exam SA Flashcards
Outline the five finger rule
Signalment Onset Clinical Course Lateralisation Pain Neuroanatomical localisation
What are the segments of the spinal cord?
C1-C5
C6-T2
T3-L3
L4-S3
What neuro condition gets better with time?
Toxic
Trauma
Vascular
Anomalous
What neuro condition gets worse with time?
Inflammatory Neoplastic Nutritional Degenerative Anomalous
What type of neuro condition is characterised by waxing and waning signs?
Metabolic
What should you observe on hands off exam?
Mental status and behaviour
Posture and body position at rest
Evaluation of gait
Involuntary movement
What is required for a patient to be BAR?
Forebrain and reticular formation of brain stem
Need the ascending RAS to be awake
Describe the scale from stupendous to comatose
Normal
Obtunded
Stuperous
Comatose
Describe an obtunded patient
Decreased interest in surroundings, slowed psychomotor response
Describe a stuperous patient
Only responds to Pain consciously - i.e, forebrain response
Describe a comatose patient
No response to stimuli
What can cause a patient to be obtunded?
Forebrain or brainstorm lesion or due to other systemic illness
Where can you localise a lesion to if the patient is stuperous or comatose?
Brain stem
What is disorientation typically associated with ?
Vestibular system
What does wide circling indicate?
What does the direction of the circling indicate?
Forebrain lesion
Circle towards the side of the lesion
Why does an animal circle towards the side of the forebrain lesion ?
If they have a left forebrain lesion they won’t be able to perceive stimuli from the right
Therefore they avoid the right and circle left
What does head pressing indicate ?
What diagnostics are indicated?
A bilateral symmetrical problem
Likely metabolic problem e.g. hepatic encephalopathy or renal encephalopathy
Systemic bloods
What would hemi-neglect of the left side of a bowl indicate?
A right forebrain lesion