rules for localising a lesion

Last reviewed 01/2018

For each neurological deficit a line is constructed which follows the route of the main sensory or motor pathways.

  • rule 1:
    • if all the lines intersect at one point then the lesion is situated at the point of intersection

  • rule 2:
    • if the lines intersect at more then one point then one must test for deficits which might be predicted from lesions at the various different intersection points

  • rule 3:
    • if the findings cannot be explained by a single lesion then attempt to determine two causative lesions

  • rule 4:
    • if more than two lesions are required to explain the findings then the disorder is considered to be multifocal
    • one should determine what is the common characteristic about all the lesions