The mysterious Weber's test
BMJ 2002; 325 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.325.7354.26 (Published 06 July 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;325:26- M W Weatherall, special registrar in neurology
- Royal Preston Hospital
I had suddenly become deaf in one ear. The first thing to pass through the mind of a neurologist who has suddenly become deaf is the possibility of a nasty tumour at the cerebellopontine angle. Close on the heels of this unwanted thought, however, was the much more reassuring realisation that this was almost certainly a recurrence of an ongoing problem with build-up of wax that I had just let go too long.
There was one quick way to make sure. Many neurological tests—such as those assessing power or tone—are essentially impossible to perform on oneself. Eliciting your own reflexes is …
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