Medical Terminology - Ch 21 Neurological

Alert and Oriented

A&O

Alert and oriented to person, place, time and event

A&O PPTE

Altered Level of Consciousness

ALOC

Altered Mental Status

AMS

Decerebrate Posturing

Abnormal body posture that involves the arms and legs being held straight out, the toes being pointed downward, and the head and neck being arched backwards

Seizure

Abnormal electrical activity in the brain classified by grand mal, absence, myoclonic, clonic, tonic or atonic seizures Focal (Partial) - seizures which affect only a part of the brain Petit Mal - term commonly given to a staring spell, most commonly called an "absence seizure." It is a brief (usually less than 15 seconds) disturbance of brain function due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain Tonic Clonic (Grand Mal) - type of generalized seizure that affects the entire brain

Decorticate Posturing

Abnormal posturing in which a person is stiff with bent arms, clenched fists, and legs held out straight

Epidural Hematoma

Bleeding between the inside of the skull and the outer covering of the brain

Epilepsy

Brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures

Hydrocephalus

Buildup of fluid inside the skull that leads to brain swelling

Cranial Nerves

CN - twelve pairs of nerves that emanate from the nervous tissue of the brain (Normal: cranial nerves II-XII intact) I: Olfactory nerve - usually skipped in cranial nerve test II: Optic nerve III: Oculomotor nerve IV: Trochlear nerve V: Trigeminal nerve VI: Abducens nerve VII: Facial nerve VIII: Vestibulocochlear nerve IX: Glossopharyngeal nerve X: Vagus nerve XI: Accessory nerve XII: Hypoglossal

Cerebral Palsy

CP - motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development; caused by damage to the motor control centers of the developing brain and car occur during pregnancy, during childbirth or after birth

Cerebrospinal Fluid

CSF

Cerebral Vascular Accident

CVA - blood flow to a part of the brain stops; ischemic or hemorrhagic. Also called stroke

Subdural Hematoma

Collection of blood on the surface of the brain

Epidural Abscess

Collection of pus (infected material) between the outer covering of the brain and spinal cord and the bones of the skull or spine

Muscle Tone

Continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles

Saddle Anesthesia

loss of sensation restricted to the area of the buttocks and perineum

Dysphagia

Difficulty swallowing

Deep Tendon Reflexes

DTR's - reflexes are elicited and measured on a scale of 0 to 5+; often patellar reflex tested (Normal: 2+ patellar reflex)

Parkinson's Disease

Degenerative disease of the CNS that leads to shaking (tremors) and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination

Electroencephalography

EEG - recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain

Extra Ocular Movements Intact

EOMI

Finger-Nose-Finger Test

FNF Test - patient extends index finger and touches nose then touches examiner's outstretched finger with the same finger and goes back and forth between touching nose and examiner's finger. Dysmetria is the clinical term for the inability to perform point-to-point movements due to over or under projecting ones fingers (Normal: normal finger to nose testing)

Lightheadedness

Feeling faint

Bell's Palsy

Form of facial paralysis resulting from a dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII (the facial nerve) that results in the inability to control facial muscles on the affected side

Glasgow Coma Sale

GCS - neurological scale that aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person based on eye, verbal and motor function on a scale of 3-15 (Normal: GCS 15)

Ataxia

Gross lack of coordination of muscles such as staggering gait

Headache

HA

Aphasia

Inability to express oneself through speech

Aphagia

Inability to swallow

Pronator Drift

Indicator of upper motor neuron weakness. In upper motor neuron weakness, supination is weaker than pronation in the upper extremity, leading to a pronation of the affected arm (Normal: no pronator drift)

Meningitis

Inflammation of the membranes of the spinal cord or brain (viral or bacterial)

Nystagmus

Involuntary rapid eye movements; vertical or horizontal (Normal: no nystagmus)

Tremor

Involuntary somewhat rhythmic, muscle contraction and relaxation involving to-and-fro movements (oscillations or twitching) of one or more body parts

Loss of Consciousness Level of Consciousness

LOC

Lumbar Puncture

LP - procedure whereby spinal fluid is removed from the spinal canal for the purpose of diagnostic testing

Urinary Incontinence

Loss of bladder control

Dementia

Loss of global cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging

Fecal Incontinence

Loss of regular control of the bowels

Moving All Extremities

MAE

Mental Retardation

MR - generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors

Romberg Test

Neurological test to detect poor balance based on the inability to maintain a steady standing posture with the eyes closed (Normal: negative Romberg)

Mentation

Mental activity (Normal: mentation normal) Obtunded: less than full mental capacity in a medical patient, typically as a result of a medical condition or trauma Somnolent: state of feeling drowsy, ready to fall asleep

Atrophy

Partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body

Gait

Particular way or manner of moving on foot. Abnormalities can be describes as staggering, shuffling or ataxic (Normal: gait normal)

Rapid Alternating Hand Movements

Patient asked to tap the palm of one hand with fingers of the other and then rapidly turn over the fingers and tap the palm with the back of them repeatedly. Dysdiadochokinesis is the clinical term for an inability to perform rapidly alternating movements (Normal: normal rapid alternating hand movements)

Nuchal Rigidity

Patient is unable to flex his or her head forward due to an un-natural rigidity of the neck muscles

Sensation

Perception of a stimulus (Normal: sensation intact)

Postictal State

Period shortly after a seizure where the brain is still recovering characterized by drowsiness, confusion, nausea, hypertension, headache or migraine and other disorienting symptoms

Kernig's Sign

Positive when the thigh is bent at the hip and knee at 90 degree angles, and subsequent extension in the knee is painful

Focal Neuro Deficit

Problem with nerve, spinal cord, or brain function. It affects a specific location, such as the left side of the face, right arm etc (Normal: no focal deficits)

Strength

Rates patient's muscle strength on a 0-5 scale (Normal: 5/5 strength) 0: no muscle contraction is detected 1: trace contraction is noted in the muscle by palpating the muscle while the patient attempts to contract it 2: patient is able to actively move the muscle when gravity is eliminated 3: patient may move the muscle against gravity but not against resistance from the examiner 4: patient may move the muscle group against some resistance from the examiner 5: The patient moves the muscle group and overcomes the resistance of the examiner

Dizziness

Refers to an impairment in spatial perception and stability

Peripheral Neuropathy

Refers to damage to nerves of the PNS associated with varying combinations of weakness, autonomic changes and sensory changes

Babinski

Reflex elicited when the sole of the foot is stimulated with a blunt instrument based upon what the big toe does when the sole of the foot is stimulated (Normal: toes down going)

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

SAH - bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissues that cover the brain (subarachnoid space)

Spinal Fluid

SF

Paresthias

Sensation of tingling, burning, pricking, or numbness

Clonus

Series of involuntary muscular contractions and relaxations, a sign of certain neurological conditions; upper motor neuron lesions such as in stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord damage and hepatic encephalopathy

Dysarthria

Speech condition that occurs making it difficult to pronounce words due to weakness, paralysis or lack of muscle coordination

Dysphasia

Speech disorder in which there is an impairment of speech and of comprehension of speech

Presyncope

State consisting of lightheadedness, muscular weakness, and feeling faint

Transient Ischemia Attack

TIA - transient episode of neurologic dysfunction caused by ischemia

Syncope

Temporary loss of consciousness, fainting

Hemiplegia

Total paralysis of the arm, leg, and trunk on the same side of the body

Asterixis

Tremor of the wrist when the wrist is extended (dorsiflexion) due to motor disorder is characterized by jerking movements associated with metabolic encephalopathy

Vertigo

Type of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary

Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt

VP shunt - used to treat swelling of the brain due to excess buildup of cerebrospinal fluid by draining fluid into the peritoneal cavity

Hemiparesis

Weakeness on one side of the body

Cerebral Aneurysm

Weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel

Heel to Shin Test

While laying supine patient is instructed to place heel of one leg on shin of opposite leg just below the knee and then slide it down shin to the top of their foot, repeating motion as quickly as possible without making mistakes and then switching legs and repeating (Normal: normal heel to shin)