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. 2023 Dec 29;49(4):536–545. doi: 10.12865/CHSJ.49.04.9

Table 3.

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)

Level of consciousness

0

Alert

1

Not alert, arousable

2

Not alert, obtunded

3

Unresponsive

LOC questions

0

Answers both correctly

1

Answers one correctly

2

Incorrect

LOC commands

0

Obeys both correctly

1

Obeys one correctly

2

Incorrect

Gaze

0

Normal

1

Partial gaze palsy

2

Forced deviation

Visual fields

0

No visual loss

1

Partial hemianopsia

2

Complete hemianopsia

3

Bilateral hemianopsia

Facial palsy

0

Normal

1

Minor paralysis

2

Partial paralysis

3

Complete paralysis

Motor arm

(A)Left;

(B) Right

0

No drift

1

Drift before 10s

2

Falls before 10s

3

No effort against gravity

4

No movement

Motor leg

(A)Left; (B) Right

0

No drift

1

Drift before 10s

2

Falls before 10s

3

No effort against gravity

4

No movement

Ataxia

0

Absent

1

One limb

2

Two limbs

Sensory

0

Normal

1

Mild loss

2

Severe loss

Language

0

Normal

1

Mild aphasia

2

Severe aphasia

3

Mute or global aphasia

Dysarthria

0

Normal

1

Mild

2

Severe

Extinction/inattention

0

Normal

1

Mild

2

Severe