Question

HESI CASE STUDY - PEDIATRICS INTRACRANIAL

THE NURSE RECOGNIZES THAT SIGNS OF INCREASED INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE IN CASEY DIFFER FROM SIGNS IN OLDER CHILDREN .WHICH SYMPTOM IS MOST CHARACTERISTIC OF ICP IN INFANTS?

WHILE CONDUCTING CASEYS NEUROLOGICAL ASSESSMENT THE NURSE NOTES POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO CRANIAL NERVE III AS EVIDENCED BY WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS

Answer 1

The most characteristic sign of increased cranial pressure in infants is, increase in diameter of the head. The head size increases by 3 cm per month during the first year of life, but in infants with ICP, the growth of head is significantly higher than the normal infants.

Damage to the cranial nerve III (oculomotor nerve) can be evidenced by the light reflex (indicates pupil damage). The other possible signs include impaired ocular motility.

B. PTOSIS AND DILATED PUPILS ---> Indicates third cranial nerve damage