Tongue Protrusion
Overview
How to Elicit
- Ask the patient to protrude their tongue, and then move it to either side.
Interpretation
- Deviation to the left - suggests a lesion of the left hypoglossal (XII) nerve or higher
- Deviation to the right - suggests a lesion of the right hypoglossal (XII) nerve or higher
Causes of Tongue Deviation
- Contralateral upper motor neuron lesion - trauma, tumour, ischaemia, demyelination
- Ipsilateral hypoglossal (XII) nerve palsy - trauma, infarction, haemorrhage, demyelination
- Motor neurone disease
- Trauma
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