The patient is diagnosed with Bell's palsy.The nurse assesses the patient and notices drooping of the patient's right eye and the right side of his mouth.When the functions of the following nerves are compared,the most likely cause of these symptoms would be a dysfunction of:

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Assess cranial nerve (CN)VII (facial)by noting facial symmetry.Have patient frown,smile,puff out cheeks,and raise eyebrows.Expressions should be symmetrical; Bell's palsy causes drooping of upper and lower face; cerebrovascular accident (CVA)causes asymmetry.
Assess cranial nerve CN V (trigeminal)by applying light sensation with a cotton ball to symmetrical areas of face.Sensations should be symmetrical; unilateral decrease or loss of sensation is possibly due to CN V lesion or a lesion in higher sensory pathways.Assess cranial nerve CN III (oculomotor),IV (trochlear),and VI (abducens)by assessing extraocular movement (EOM)functioning.Ask patient to follow the movement of your finger through the six cardinal positions of gaze; measure pupillary reaction to light reflex and accommodation using a penlight.These cranial nerves are most likely to be affected by increasing intracranial pressure (ICP),which causes change in the pupil response or the pupil size; sometimes pupils change shape (more oval)or react sluggishly.ICP impairs EOMs.Damage to CN IX causes impaired swallowing; damage to CN X causes loss of gag reflex,hoarseness,and nasal voice.When the palate fails to rise and the uvula pulls toward the normal side,this indicates a unilateral paralysis.

The Patient Is Diagnosed with Bell's Palsy