University of Utah School of Medicine

The Neurologic Exam for Adults and Pediatrics is a shared undertaking of
The University of Utah School of Medicine & the University of Nebraska Medical Center

 

 

Neurologic Exam
for Adults
Neuroanatomy Video Lab:
Brain Dissections
Neurologic Exam
for Pediatrics
Neurologic Exam for Adults


Image of Brain Dissections


Neurologic Exam for Pediatrics



About the website:

The Neurologic Exam Videos & Descriptions: an Anatomical Approach uses over 250 video demonstrations with narrative descriptions in an online tutorial. It presents the anatomical foundations of the neurologic exam and provides examples of both normal and abnormal conditions as exhibited by patients.

The website combines the use of anatomical diagrams, live patient exams, video patient cases and self-evaluation tools to accomplish its educational goals. It utilizes clinical video patient cases as digital movie files that can be viewed online or freely downloaded for local repurposing.

The presentations interweave the neurological examination with neuroanatomy, laying the foundation for clinical problem solving by...

  • first, establishing the anatomical concept;
  • second, demonstrating the problem solving method;
  • then third, allowing active participation in applying the method.

Anatomy and pathology of the nervous system is understood by directly visualizing it. This is best accomplished by handling the brain (or model of the brain as the case may be) and dissecting or taking it apart for direct examination. The purpose (for the clinician) of understanding neuroanatomy and neurophysiology is to be able to use that knowledge to solve clinical problems.

The first step in solving a clinical problem is anatomical localization. So, if one cannot directly inspect the patient's brain, how is this localization accomplished? The "WINDOW TO THE PATIENT'S BRAIN" is the neurological examination. A neuro exam is a series of tests and observations that reflects the function of various parts of the brain. If the exam is approached in a systematic and logical fashion that is organized in terms of anatomical levels and systems, then the clinician is lead to the anatomical location of the patient's problem.

This "Clinical Dissection of the Nervous System: An Internet Accessible Tutorial" for Medical Neuroscience is authored by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Medicine: Paul D. Larsen, MD and the University of Utah School of Medicine: Suzanne S. Stensaas, PhD, Professor Emeritus, with some section movies contributed by the Fundación Stern, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Alejandro Stern).

 

About the website:

The Neuroanatomy Video Lab: Brain Dissections is a very special contribution to the Neurologic Exam for Adults by Suzanne S. Stensaas, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Utah.

This series of Neuroanatomy video lessons with brain dissections has two principal objectives. The first is to provide viewers access to human brain specimens, something lacking in many places. The second is to simplify the anatomy, omitting some details, and making numerous generalizations. This helps keep the focus on the localization of a patient's disease within the nervous system. Students are often overwhelmed with excessive detail which makes the correlation of structure and function more difficult. The presentation sequence is in a logical order for a class, but each video is designed to standalone and be used just-in-time to make a clinical point.

The series originated when teaching with a neurologist in Ghana and Kenya where it was clear when anatomy was taught and separated from the clinic by many years, much was not retained. Here Dr. Stensaas presents just enough anatomy to localize the patient's problem. These videos can be used before or after a clinical case presentation. Apologies are offered for a few minor errors that could not be corrected due to the one time recording opportunity as well as an unscripted personal style.

The audience for these videos can be nurses, physician assistants, medical students, residents, registrars, house officers, or anyone interested in the brain.

All of the videos have English captions to assist those for whom English is not their native language or to visualize the many new terms. Videos can be downloaded and repurposed in a variety of formats for those lacking bandwidth or Internet connectivity or who wish to embed the videos in other presentation software. They may be shared, copied, distributed and put on local servers, but not republished to commercial video distribution systems without permission.

Dr. Stensaas is indebted to the Eccles Health Sciences Library of the School of Medicine for the videography and server support, to Pat Brennan for additional videography, and to Paul Burrows from Teaching and Learning Technologies at the University of Utah for creating and maintaining this website. Gratefully acknowledged are neurologists Dr. David Renner and Dr. Leonard Jarcho who consulted on which anatomy was most important in their practice of medicine.

About the website:

The Pediatric Neurologic Exam: a Neurodevelopmental Approach uses over 145 video demonstrations and narrative descriptions in an online tutorial. It presents the neurological examination of the pediatric patient within the context of neurodevelopmental milestones for...

  • Newborns
  • 3 month-olds
  • 6 month-olds
  • 12 month-olds
  • 18 month-olds
  • 2-and-a-half year-olds

In assessing the child’s developmental level, the examiner must know the age when key social, motor, and language skills are normally acquired. The normal neurological findings one would expect for a newborn are certainly different than a 2, 6 or 12-month-old infant.

Obtaining developmental milestones is an important reflection of the maturation of the child's nervous system, and assessing development is an essential part of the pediatric neurological examination. Delay in obtaining developmental milestones and abnormal patterns of development are important indicators of underlying neurological disease.

This "Internet Accessible Tutorial for Medical Neuroscience in the Pediatric Neurologic Examination" is authored by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Medicine: Paul D. Larsen, MD, and the University of Utah School of Medicine: Suzanne S. Stensaas, PhD, Professor Emeritus.

 


 

The NeuroLogic Exam websites are a shared undertaking by:

The University of Utah School of Medicine
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
University of Utah Information Technology
and Teaching & Learning Technologies, University of Utah

 

University of Utah School of Medicine

University of Nebraska Medical Center


 

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The University of Utah 2001

The University of Utah


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