title: Spinal accessory nerve lesions.
abstract: The spinal accessory nerve, primarily a motor nerve, innervates the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles. Proximally, lesions can occur intracranially at the skull base or just outside the jugular foramen producing ipsilateral weakness of trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles; or distally, in the posterior neck triangle causing trapezius muscle weakness.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. masse010@mc.duke.edu
authors.forename: E Wayne
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Massey
mesh_terms: D000055:Accessory Nerve / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020436:Accessory Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed