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| Patient Education -- Glossary
of Terms |
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GLOSSARY
OF TERMS
ABCESS - A circumscribed collection of pus
ANEURYSM - A sac formed by local enlargement of
the weakened wall of an artery, caused by disease or injury
ANGIOGRAM - A study which shows the blood vessels
leading to and in the brain by injecting a dye or contrast
substance through a catheter placed in the artery in the
leg
ARACHNOID - Middle layer of membranes covering
the brain and spinal cord
ATROPHY - A wasting of the tissues of a body part
BIOPSY - Removal of a small portion of tissue,
usually for the purpose of making a diagnosis
CAROTID ARTERY - Large artery on either side of
the neck which supplies most of the cerebral hemisphere
CARPAL TUNNEL - Space under a ligament in wrist
through which the median nerve enters the palm of the
hand
CAUDA EQUINA - The bundle of spinal nerve roots
arising from the end of the spinal cord and filling the
lower part of the spinal canal(from approximately the
thoraco-lumbar junction down)
CEREBELLUM - The lower part of the brain which
is beneath the posterior portion of the cerebrum and regulates
unconscious coordination of movement
CEREBROSPINAL FLUID - Water-like fluid produced
in the brain that circulates around and protects the brain
and spinal cord
CEREBRUM - The principal portion of the brain,
which occupies the major portion of the interior of the
skull and controls conscious movement, sensation and thought
CERVICAL - Of or pertaining to the neck
CERVICAL SPINE - The spinous process of a cervical
vertebra
CHRONIC PAIN - Pain of long duration or frequent
recurrence
CONCUSSION - A disruption, usually temporary, of
neurological function resulting from a blow or violent
shaking
CORTEX - The external layer of gray matter covering
the hemispheres of the cerebrum and cerebellum
CRANIUM - The part of the skull that holds the
brain
CRANIECTOMY - Excision of a portion of the skull
CRANIOPLASTY - The operative repair of a defect
of the skull
CRANIOTOMY - Opening of the skull, usually by creating
a flap of bone
CSF - Cerebrospinal Fluid
CT SCAN - (Computed Tomography Scan): A diagnostic
imaging technique in which a computer reads x-rays to
create a three-dimensional map of soft tissue or bone
CYST - An abnormal sac containing gas, fluid, or
a semisolid material
DISC - The intervertebral disc - cartilaginous
cushion found between the vertebrae of the spinal column.
It may bulge beyond the vertebral body and compress the
nearby nerve root, causing pain. The terms "slipped disc",
"ruptured disc" and "herniated disc" are often used interchangeably
even though there are subtle differences.
DOPPLER - A non-invasive study which uses sound
waves to show the flow in a blood vessel and can be used
to determine the degree of narrowing (percent stenosis)
of the vessel. A wand is placed on the skin over the vessel
to be imaged. This study has no risks and is not painful.
DURA MATER - A tough fibrous membrane which covers
the brain and spinal cord, but is separated from them
by a small space
ELECTROENCEPHALOPGRAHY (EEG) - The study of the
electrical currents set up by brain actions; the record
made is called an electroencephalogram
ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) - A method of recording
the electrical currents generated in a muscle during its
contraction
EPENDYMA - The membrane lining the cerebral ventricles
of the brain and central canal of the spinal cord
EPENDYMOMA - A growth in the brain or spinal cord
arising from ependymal tissue
EPIDURAL - Immediately outside the dura mater
EPIDURAL HEMATOMA - A blood clot between the dura
mater and the inside of the skull
EPILEPSY - Disorder characterized by abnormal electrical
discharges in the brain, causing abnormal sensation, movement
or level of consciousness
EXTRADURAL - Immediately outside the dura mater
FORAMINOTOMY - Surgical opening or enlargement
of the bony opening traversed by a nerve root as it leaves
the spinal canal
GLIA (Also termed neuroglia) - The major support
cells of the brain. These cells are involved in the nutrition
and maintenance of the nerve cells
GLIOMA - A tumor formed by glial cells
GLIOBLASTOMA - A rapidly growing tumor composed
of primitive glial cells, mainly arising from astrocytes
HEMATOMA - A blood clot
HEMORRHAGE - Bleeding due to the escape of blood
from a blood vessel
HERNIATED NUCLEUS PULPOSUS (HNP) - An intervertebral
disk in which the nucleus pulposus has protruded through
the surrounding fibrocartilage. It occurs most frequently
in the lower lumbar region, less commonly in the cervical
region. Mild to severe symptoms may result from pressure
on spinal nerves. Also called ruptured or slipped disk
HYDROCEPHALUS - A condition, often congenital,
marked by abnormal and excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal
fluid in the cerebral ventricles. This dilates the ventricles
and in infants and young children causes the head to enlarge
HYDROMYELIA - Expansion of the spinal cord due
to increased size of the central canal of the cord which
is filled with CSF
INTRACEREBRAL HEMATOMA - A blood clot within the
brain
INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE (ICP) - The overall pressure
inside the skull
LAMINA - The flattened or arched part of the vertebral
arch, forming the roof of the spinal canal
LAMINECTOMY - Excision of one or more lamina of
the vertebrae
LAMINOTOMY - An opening made in a lamina
LUMBAR - Of or pertaining to the lower back
LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS - Constriction or narrowing,
especially of a lumen or orifice
LUMEN - The space inside of a tube
MAGNETIC RESONANCE ANGIOGRAPHY (MRA) - A non-invasive
study which is conducted in a Magnetic Resonance Imager
(MRI). The magnetic images are assembled by a computer
to provide an image of the arteries in the head and neck.
No contrast material is needed, but some patients may
experience claustrophobia in the imager.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) - Diagnostic test
that produces three-dimensional images of body structures
using powerful magnets and computer technology rather
than x-rays
MEDIAN NERVE - The nerve formed from the brachial
plexus that supplies muscles in the anterior forearm and
thumb, as well as, sensation of the hand. It may be compressed
or trapped at the wrist in carpal tunnel syndrome
MEDULLOBLASTOMA - Tumor composed of medulloblasts
which are cells which develop in the roof of the fourth
ventricle (medullary velum)
MENINGES - The three membranes covering the spinal
cord and brain termed dura mater, arachnoid mater and
pia mater
MENINGIOMA - A firm, often vascular, tumor arising
from the coverings of the brain.
MENINGITIS - An infection or inflammation of the
membranes covering the brain and spinal cord
MENINGOCELE - A protrusion of the coverings of
the spinal cord or brain through a defect in the skull
or vertebral column
MENINGOENCEPHALITIS - An inflammation or infection
of the brain and meninges
MENINGOENCEPHALOCELE - A protrusion of both the
meninges and brain tissue through a skull defect
MYELOGRAM - An x-ray of the spinal canal following
injection of a contrast material into the surrounding
cerebrospinal fluid spaces
MYELOPATHY - Any functional or pathologic disturbance
in the spinal cord
MYELOMENINGOCELE - A protrusion of the spinal cord
and its coverings through a defect in the vertebral column.
MYOPATHY - Any disease of muscle
NEOPLASM - Tumor
NEUROPATHY - Any functional or pathologic disturbance
in the peripheral nervous system
NEUROSURGERY - Surgery of the Nervous System
ORIFICE - An opening to a cavity or tube
SACRUM - The last lumbar vertebra
SHUNT - A tube or device implanted in the body
(usually made of Silastic) to redivert excess CSF away
from the brain to another place in the body
SPINA BIFIDA - A congenital defect of the spine
marked by the absence of a portion of the spine
SPINAL FUSION - Operative method of strengthening
and limiting motion of the spinal column. Can be performed
with a variety of metal instruments and bone grafts, or
bone grafts alone
SPONDYLOLISTHESIS - Forward displacement of one
vertebra on another
SPONDYLOSIS - Degenerative bone changes in the
spine usually most marked at the vertebral joints
STENOSIS - Narrowing
STROKE - Cerebrovascular accident of sudden onset
SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE - Blood in, or bleeding
into, the space under the arachnoid membrane, most commonly
from trauma or from rupture of an aneurysm
SUBDURAL HEMATOMA - A collection of blood (clot)
trapped under the dura matter, the outermost membrane
surrounding the brain and spinal cord
SYRINGOMYELIA - A fluid filled cavity in the spinal
cord
THORACI SPINE - the 12 vertebrae associated with
the chest and ribs
TRANSSPHENOIDAL APPROACH - Operative method of
reaching the pituitary gland or skull base traversing
the nose and sinuses
TUMOR - Any abnormal mass resulting from the excessive
multiplication of cells
ULTRASOUND - The use of high-frequency sound to
create images of internal body structures.
VALVE - Device placed in a shunt system to regulate
the rate and direction of CSF flow
VENTRICLE - The cavities or chambers within the
brain which contain the cerebrospinal fluid. There are
two lateral ventricles and midline third and fourth ventricles
VENTRICULITIS - Inflammation and/or infection of
the ventricles
VENTRICULOSTOMY - An opening into the ventricles
of the brain, such as by inserting a small, thin, hollow
catheter
VENTRICULAR DRAINAGE - Insertion of a small tube
into the ventricles to drain cerebrospinal fluid, usually
when pressure is increased
VERTEBRA- Any of the thirty-three bones of the
spinal column
X-RAY - Application of electromagnetic radiation
to produce a film or picture of a bone or soft-tissue
area of the body
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