Inspection of uvula and palatine arches
The glossopharyngeal nerve is mostly tested together with the vagus nerve.
The patient opens his/her mouth and the examiner pushes the tongue down.
The patient says ‘aaah’.
The uvula and the palatine arches are inspected.
When the uvula deviates to the healthy side: this could be a glossopharyngeal lesion or a vagus lesion (overstretch or compression).
When the pharynx wall doesn’t lift, there is a glossopharyngeal or vagus lesion, or both.
