NURS 2305 Health Assessment – Head, Neck, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat & Neuro Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering anatomical landmarks, common disorders, assessment techniques, neurological and sensory terminology from the NURS 2305 Health Assessment lecture notes.

Coronal Suture

The fibrous joint that runs ear-to-ear across the top of the skull, separating frontal and parietal bones.

Lambdoid Suture

The suture on the back of the skull between parietal and occipital bones.

Mastoid Process

Bony prominence of the temporal bone located just behind the ear; landmark for lymph node assessment.

Tension Headache

Musculoskeletal-origin headache, usually bilateral, “vise-like,” mild-to-moderate, often related to stress or poor posture.

Migraine Headache

Vascular-origin headache, commonly unilateral, throbbing, moderate-to-severe, may have aura and nausea, relieved by lying in a dark room.

Cluster Headache

Intermittent, excruciating unilateral headache behind eye/temple; abrupt onset, stabbing pain, need to pace or move.

PQRSTU Mnemonic

Pain assessment tool: Provocation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Timing, Understanding (patient’s perception).

Presyncope

A lightheaded, swimming sensation or feeling of faintness caused by decreased blood flow to brain or heart irregularity.

Vertigo

Rotational spinning sensation due to vestibular dysfunction; objective (room spins) vs subjective (person spins).

Cranial Nerve V (Trigeminal)

Mixed nerve for facial sensation and muscles of mastication; tested with light touch/pain and clench.

Cranial Nerve VII (Facial)

Controls facial expression, taste on anterior two-thirds of tongue; tested by smile, frown, puff cheeks.

Senile Tremors

Benign head nodding or tongue protrusion that may occur in older adults.

Presbyopia

Age-related loss of lens elasticity causing difficulty focusing on near objects.

Cataract

Opacity of the lens leading to cloudy vision; common in aging.

Glaucoma

Increased intraocular pressure causing peripheral vision loss; open-angle most common.

Macular Degeneration

Degeneration of central retina (macula) leading to loss of central vision.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Retinal microvascular damage from chronic hyperglycemia; leading cause of blindness in adults.

Snellen Fraction 20/30

Patient sees at 20 ft what a person with normal vision sees at 30 ft; indicates decreased acuity.

Pupillary Light Reflex

Normal constriction of pupils when bright light shines—direct (same eye) and consensual (opposite eye).

Accommodation

Pupillary constriction and convergence of eyes when shifting gaze from far to near object.

PERRLA

Documentation that pupils are Equal, Round, Reactive to Light and Accommodation—all elements must be tested.

Strabismus

Misalignment of eyes; disparity of axes causing diplopia or suppression.

Esotropia

Inward turning of the eye (cross-eye).

Exotropia

Outward turning of the eye.

Ptosis

Drooping of upper eyelid, often due to CN III damage or myasthenia gravis.

Exophthalmos

Protruding eyeballs, typically from Graves disease (hyperthyroidism).

Hordeolum (Stye)

Acute localized staphylococcal infection of eyelid hair follicle causing painful red pustule.

Mydriasis

Dilated, fixed pupils—may result from glaucoma, trauma, or adrenergic drugs.

Miosis

Constricted pupils—can result from opioids, iritis, or pontine hemorrhage.

Otalgia

Ear pain.

Tinnitus

Ringing or buzzing noise in the ears without external source.

Otorrhea

Ear discharge; may indicate infection or CSF leak.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Hearing loss due to obstruction or mechanical dysfunction of external or middle ear (e.g., cerumen, otitis media).

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Loss caused by pathology of inner ear, CN VIII, or auditory cortex (e.g., presbycusis, ototoxic drugs).

Presbycusis

Age-related sensorineural hearing loss, first losing high-frequency consonants; words sound garbled.

Whispered Voice Test

Screen for hearing acuity: nurse whispers 3 words/numbers 1–2 ft behind patient; ≥3/6 correct is normal.

Cone of Light

Triangular light reflex on tympanic membrane; at 5 o’clock in right ear, 7 o’clock in left.

Epistaxis

Nosebleed.

Rhinorrhea

Nasal discharge (runny nose).

Dysphagia

Difficulty swallowing.

Gingivitis

Inflammation of gums, often from plaque and poor oral hygiene.

Candidiasis (Oral Thrush)

White, curd-like patches on tongue/buccal mucosa caused by Candida infection.

Broca Area

Region in frontal lobe controlling motor speech; damage causes expressive aphasia.

Wernicke Area

Temporal-lobe region responsible for language comprehension; damage causes receptive aphasia.

Basal Ganglia

Gray-matter structures that initiate and coordinate movement and control automatic movements.

Cerebellum

Brain structure that coordinates voluntary movements, balance, and posture.

Reflex Arc

Involuntary pathway producing quick response to stimuli, helping maintain muscle tone and balance.

Dermatome C6–C8

Spinal nerve areas corresponding to thumb (C6), middle finger (C7), little finger (C8) sensation.

Syncope

Brief loss of consciousness from inadequate cerebral blood flow; fainting.

Paresis

Partial or incomplete paralysis; decreased motor strength.

Paresthesia

Abnormal burning, tingling, or prickling sensation.

Dysarthria

Difficulty forming words due to motor speech disorder.

Dysphasia

Impaired language comprehension or production; can be receptive or expressive.

Lethargic (Somnolent)

Not fully alert; drifts off to sleep but aroused by name; slow, fuzzy thinking.

Obtunded

Sleeps most of the time, difficult to arouse; needs loud shout or vigorous shake; speech mumbled.

Stupor

Spontaneously unconscious; responds only to persistent, vigorous stimuli; minimal purposeful response.

Delirium

Acute, reversible confusional state with disorientation, hallucinations, fluctuating LOC.

Dementia

Chronic, progressive loss of cognitive and intellectual function with intact consciousness.

Flaccidity

Decreased muscle tone (hypotonia); limb feels limp and flabby.

Spasticity

Increased muscle tone (hypertonia) with stiff, awkward movements; seen after UMN lesion.

Rigidity

Constant resistance to passive movement; associated with extrapyramidal tract lesions (e.g., Parkinson).

Tic

Involuntary, repetitive twitching of muscle group (e.g., eye blink).

Myoclonus

Sudden, rapid jerk of a muscle or group (e.g., hiccup, seizure jerk).

Fasciculation

Rapid, continuous, fine twitch of resting muscle without limb movement.

Chorea

Sudden, rapid, jerky purposeless movement involving limbs or face (e.g., Huntington).

Athetosis

Slow, writhing, snake-like continuous movement of distal limbs.

Intention Tremor

Worsens with voluntary movement toward a target; seen in cerebellar disease.

Stereognosis

Ability to identify an object by touch with eyes closed.

Graphesthesia

Ability to “read” a number traced on the skin with eyes closed.

Babinski Sign

Upward fanning of toes with plantar stroke; normal in infants, indicates corticospinal tract lesion in adults.