A patient is admitted to the hospital with paralysis to the left side of his mouth.On assessment, the nurse notes that the patient can close his eyes but is not able to whistle or smile when asked to.The nurse recognizes that the patient needs additional assessment for:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The symptoms described suggest an upper motor lesion, which can result from damage to the motor cortex or its connections with the motor neurons in the brainstem. This type of lesion typically causes weakness or paralysis on the opposite side of the body and affects voluntary movement, such as whistling or smiling, but not reflexes like blinking. Cushing's syndrome and Parkinson's disease are not directly related to the symptoms described, and a lower motor lesion would affect the facial nerve itself, resulting in weakness on the affected side of the face.

A Patient Is Admitted to the Hospital with Paralysis to the Left