A patient visits the clinic because he has recently noticed that the left side of his mouth is paralyzed. He states that he cannot whistle but the nurse notes he can still raise his eyebrows. What does the nurse suspect?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

With an upper motor neuron lesion, as with a CVA, the patient will have paralysis of lower facial muscles, but the upper half of the face will not be affected owing to the intact nerve from the unaffected hemisphere. The person is still able to wrinkle the forehead and close the eyes. Bell palsy presents as complete paralysis of one side of the face. The person cannot wrinkle forehead, raise eyebrows, close eyelids, whistle, or show teeth on the affected side. With Cushing syndrome the person develops a rounded, "moonlike" face, prominent jowls, red cheeks, hirsutism on the upper lip, lower cheeks, and chin, and acneiform rash on the chest. The facial features characteristic of Parkinson syndrome are a flat and expressionless, "masklike," with elevated eyebrows, staring gaze, oily skin, and drooling. This patient who cannot whistle but can still raise his eyebrows has probably experienced a cerebrovascular accident.

A Patient Visits the Clinic Because He Has Recently Noticed