Neurologic Examination

Neurologic Examination


General and Peripheral



Basic Information image


Disorders of the nervous system are serious and sometimes debilitating problems affecting horses. Many diseases, disorders, and toxins can affect the nervous system of the horse. The goal of the neurologic examination is to identify the neuroanatomic location of the lesion(s).



Overview and Goal


Ancillary diagnostic aids:



• Radiography


• Ultrasonography


• Electroencephalography


• Electromyography


• Myelography


• Computed tomography


• Magnetic resonance imaging


• Evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid


• Specialized techniques


image Auditory, somatosensory, or visual evoked response testing

image Nerve conduction velocity measurement

Many gait deficits caused by neurologic diseases are difficult to distinguish from a musculoskeletal problem; therefore, a lameness examination should be a part of the neurologic assessment.



Indications


Signalment and history:



• Obtain whenever possible.


• An accurate history can sometimes help narrow the list of differential diagnoses, especially when trauma, certain infectious diseases, or exposure to a specific toxin has occurred.


• The signalment may aid the examiner because certain diseases or developmental problems typically affect certain breeds, genders, or ages.


An incorrect diagnosis may delay the initiation of appropriate therapy and lead to a worse prognosis or result in the potential use of an expensive but unnecessary medication.



Procedure




• Generally divided into five parts:


image Head and neck

image Trunk

image Tail and anus (perineum)

image Gait

image Posture

• Begin with observation of the horse


image Behavior

image Mental awareness

image Head posture

image Coordination

image Limb position

image Symmetry of the muscles of the head, neck, and body

• Lesion localization in the head (see “Neurologic Examination: Evaluation of Cranial Nerve Function” in this section)


• Lesion localization beyond the head


image Several reflexes may be helpful to localize a lesion, including the local cervical and cervicofacial responses
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Jul 24, 2016 | Posted by in SMALL ANIMAL | Comments Off on Neurologic Examination

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