Neurological Examination

Diagnosing neurological disorders requires accurate assessment including detailed neurological examination, which is an important step in formulating differential diagnosis and guiding laboratory investigations. Certain problems frequently face the junior physician including organizing a complete examination in a short time period, and consistently eliciting neurological signs. Certainly, repeated examinations and experience play an important role; however, solid knowledge and use of proper techniques are crucial for eliciting and interpreting neurological signs. Confidence in performing the nervous system examination appears to be critical in the proper evaluation and management of patients with neurological disorders. The approach and styles of different neurologists may vary; however, consistency in conducting the examination is critical. In this chapter, an outline for the examination of the nervous system is presented. Various procedures and techniques of eliciting physical signs and possible pitfalls in the nervous system examination will also be discussed.

Keywords: Neurological, Examination, General, Anthropometric, Signs, Higher cortical, Cranial nerves, Motor, Sensory/Cerebellum.