This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Clinical features of cerebellar disease

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The clinical features of cerebellar disease are:

  • from unilateral hemisphere damage - ipsilateral signs:
    • intention tremor - increases as limb reaches target
    • dysdiadochokinesis - alternating hand, heel-knee-shin
    • dysmetria - overshooting in finger-nose test
    • ataxia of extremities - unsteadiness of gait towards side of lesion
    • pendular reflexes - legs swing back and forth when knee jerk elicited
    • rebound phenomena - outstretched arm swings excessively when displaced

  • from damage to midline structures:
    • disturbance of equilibrium - manifest as unsteadiness in walking: a drunken gait which is wide based or reeling on a narrow base; sitting - truncal ataxia

  • eye movements:
    • nystagmus - in unilateral diseases, amplitude and rate increase when looking towards the diseased side; this is an inconsistent finding
    • ocular dysmetria - overshoot when eyes voluntarily fixate

  • speech:
    • scanning dysarthria - especially with explosive speech - an inconsistent finding

  • involuntary movements:
    • myoclonic jerks and choreiform motions if deep nuclei involved

  • abnormal head tilt - also in trochlear palsy, tonsillar herniation

  • rhythmic nodding tremor of head - side to side or 'to and fro' - titubation

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.