Walsh & Hoyt: True Localizing Symptoms and Signs of Tumors

Although there are always exceptions to any rule, there are many neurologic symptoms and signs that are, in most cases, truly localizing. As noted above, the increasing availability of noninvasive procedures for the diagnosis of neurologic disease has, to some extent, reduced the need to distinguish between true and false localizing symptoms and signs. Nevertheless, it is still important for physicians to recognize the localizing value of symptoms and signs so as to direct the evaluation of the patient in the appropriate manner, limit unnecessary testing, and guide the radiologist to the correct location.