Lesion location

Pattern of sensory disturbances

Possible causes

Peripheral nerve

Pain and paresthesia in area innervated by affected nerve followed by sensory loss involving all sensory functions

Mononeuropathy (compression, injury)

Nerve root

Pain worsened by activities increasing intraspinal pressure (eg, cough, defecation), paresthesia within areas innervated by respective nerve roots followed by sensory loss involving all sensory functions

Radiculopathy (disc herniation, acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculopathy, severe degenerative lesions of spine, tumor)

Spinal cord lesion

– Sensory loss below lesion level

– Hemicord syndrome: ipsilateral loss of vibration and position sense with contralateral loss of pain and temperature sense

Trauma, tumor, demyelination, infection, ischemia or hemorrhage, of spinal cord

Anterior spinal artery syndrome

Sensory loss below lesion level, dissociated sensory loss: loss of pain and temperature with preserved vibration and position sense (with paralysis)

Anterior spinal artery thrombosis

Posterior columns of spinal cord

Loss of vibration and position sense with preserved pain and temperature (with loss of reflexes)

Subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord (in vitamin B12 deficiency), tabes dorsalis (neurosyphilis)

Trigeminal nerve or nucleus

Sensory loss in face in distribution of the trigeminal nerve or branches

Inflammation, demyelination, tumor

Thalamus or posterior limb of internal capsule

Sensory loss of pain and temperature on contralateral side of face, arm, and leg, including trunk; chronic thalamic pain syndrome may occur later

Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, tumor, demyelination

Parietal cortex

Inability to assess stimulus intensity and location, impaired graphesthesia (ability to recognize letters or numbers traced on skin), loss of 2-point discrimination (ability to recognize 2 simultaneously applied stimuli as separate), extinction (inability to recognize 1 of 2 simultaneously applied tactile stimuli on symmetric body regions), astereognosis (inability to recognize objects held in hand without visual inspection)

Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, tumor