H ow to Do a G ood N e u rologic Exa m i nation
There are several aspects of the neurological work-up that are unique and must
be considered when evaluating a patient with neurological disease. The history
is critical . The h istory is where you will get information regarding the exact
symptoms the patient experiences or experienced and the time course of these
symptoms. In many cases, the history makes the diagnosis, and the examination
serves merely as a confirmation of your historical diagnosis.
Rea l ize, however, that the symptoms the patient reports can sometimes
(often?) be vague and difficult to interpret: It is in these cases that the examination
plays a key role. A patient may complain of visual loss in the len eye, but on
examination , it becomes clear that the patient actually has a left homonymous
hemianopia . This d istinction is of g reat value, for monocular visual loss indicates
disease in the eye or the blood supply to the reti na (from the ca rotid a rtery),
while a left visual field cut suggests pathology i n the right OCCi pital lobe or its
blood supply (from the vertebral-basilar arteries) The work-up and treatment thus
are significantly altered by the exam findings, which help to clarify the patient's
interpretation of h is/her neurologic deficit.
If something is found on exam that is inconsistent with the patient's h istory,
this does not necessarily i mply malingering, but rather a difficulty in accurately
describing symptoms. Always be sure you understand what the patient is trying
to describe. Some patients complain of weakness, when they really mean numbness,
and vice versa . A patient may complain of an acute or subacute onset of