Exam

Tongue Exam

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Tongue Exam

  • See Also
  1. Tongue
  • Exam
  1. Stick out Tongue, turn to both sides (CN XII)
  2. Tongue dorsum should be pink, velvety
  3. Use gauze to grasp anterior Tongue to see all surfaces
  4. Palpate for Tongue Masses or Nodules (especially Tongue base and lateral margins)
  5. Observe for white lesions suggestive of Leukoplakia
  • Exam
  • Normal Findings
  1. Dorsal fissuring (Scrotal Tongue)
  2. Indented Lateral Margins of Tongue
  3. Geographic Tongue (Benign Migratory Glossitis)
  4. Median Rhomboid Glossitis
  5. Varicose Veins of Tongue ("Caviar Lesions")
  1. Smooth Tongue
  2. Tongue Carcinoma
  3. Hairy Leukoplakia
  4. Cranial Nerve 12 Paralysis
  5. Lichen Planus
  • Exam
  • Presenting Tongue Symptoms
  1. Tongue Enlargement (Macroglossia)
  2. Tongue Pain or Tongue Burning
  • Exam
  • Cancers and Pre-cancers
  1. Leukoplakia
  2. Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue