HEAD AND NECK

• Abnormal increase in head size in young child

  Hydrocephalus
• Inconsistently large head size in adolescent or adult

  Acromegaly
• A disorder that occurs when your body makes too much grown hormones (GH) 


  Acromegaly
• Is buildup of fluid in cavities called ventricles deep within the brain.

  Hydrocephalus
• Network of tissues and organs that get rid of body toxins, waste and other unwanted materials.

  Lymphatic System
• Filter lymph before it is return to the blood.


  Lymp nodes
• Transports lymph, a fluid containing infection fighting white blood cells, throughout the body.

  Lymphatic System
• Seen in hyperthyroidism

  Exophthalmos
• severe hypothyroidism

  Myxedema
• The cranium houses and protects the brain and major sensory organs. It consists of eight bones:

  • Frontal (1)

  • Parietal (2)

  • Temporal (2)

  • Occipital (1)

  • Ethmoid (1)

  • Sphenoid (1)
• Facial bones give shape to the face. The face consists of 14 bones:

  • Maxilla (2)

  • Zygomatic (cheek) (2)

  • Inferior conchae (2)

  • Nasal (2)

  • Lacrimal (2)

  • Palatine (2)

  • Vomer (1)

  • Mandible (jaw) (1)
• All of the facial bones are immovable except for the mandible
• The temporal artery, a major artery, is located between the eye and the top of the ear.
• The parotid glands are located on each side of the face, anterior and inferior to the ears and behind the mandible.

  The submandibular glands are located inferior to the mandible, underneath the base of the tongue.
• The structure of the neck is composed of muscles, ligaments, and the cervical vertebrae.
• The sternomastoid (sternocleidomastoid) and trapezius muscles are two of the paired muscles that allow movement and provide support to the head and neck
• The eleventh cranial nerve is responsible for muscle movement that permits shrugging of the shoulders by the trapezius muscles and turning the head against resistance by the sternomastoid muscles.
• The anterior triangle is located under the mandible, anterior to the sternomastoid

  muscle. The posterior triangle is located between the trapezius and sternomastoid muscles.
• The cervical vertebrae (C1 through C7) are located in the posterior neck and support

  the cranium.
• The vertebra prominens is C7, which can easily be palpated when the neck is flexed.
• The sternomastoid muscle rotates and flexes the head, whereas the trapezius muscle extends the head and moves the shoulders.
• It is important to avoid bilaterally compressing the carotid arteries when assessing the neck, as bilateral compression can reduce the blood supply to the brain.
• The thyroid gland is the largest endocrine gland in the body. It produces thyroid hormones that increase the metabolic rate of most body cells.
• The trachea, through which air enters the lungs, is composed of C-shaped hyaline cartilage rings.
• The first upper tracheal ring, called the cricoid cartilage, has a small notch in it.
• The thyroid cartilage (“Adam’s apple”) is larger and located just above the cricoid cartilage. 
• The hyoid bone, which is attached to the tongue, lies above the thyroid cartilage and under the mandible.
• The thyroid gland consists of two lateral lobes that curve posteriorly on both sides of the trachea and esophagus and are mostly covered by the sternomastoid muscles. These two thyroid lobes are connected by an isthmus that overlies the second and third tracheal rings below the cricoid cartilage.
• Lymph nodes filter lymph, a clear substance composed mostly of excess tissue fluid.
• Filtering removes bacteria and tumor cells from lymph.
• The lymph nodes produce lymphocytes and antibodies as a defense against invasion by foreign substances.
• The size and shape of lymph nodes vary, but most are less than 1 cm long and are buried deep in the connective tissue.
• Normally lymph nodes are either not palpable or they may feel like very small beads. If the nodes become overwhelmed by microorganisms they swell and become painful.
• When an enlarged lymph node is detected during assessment, the nurse needs to know from which part of the head or neck the lymph node receives drainage to assess if an abnormality (e.g., infection, disease) is in that area.
• Neck pain may accompany muscular problems or cervical spinal cord problems.
• Stress and tension may increase neck pain.
• Sudden head and neck pain seen with elevated temperature and neck stiffness may be a sign of meningeal inflammation.
• Older clients who have arthritis or osteoporosis may experience neck pain and a decreased range of motion.
• Eighteen percent of women have migraine headaches provoked by hormone fluctuations
• Other vascular headaches may be caused by fever or high blood pressure (“clus- 

  ter headaches”).