Test the motor function of the vagus nerve

Question 1

Describe and demonstrate how to test the function of the vagus nerve and what would happen if there was pathology

Answer 1

• Ask the patient to open their mouth and say ‘ahh’ in order for their tongue to be depressed
• You can see the uvula
• Check for uvular deviation - if there is deviation to one side then the lesion is on the contralateral side