Neurology Care Center

 

D

deep tendon reflexes

Deep muscle stretch reflexes that are triggered by tapping on the tendons; the "knee jerk"

deltoid ligament

Complex of four ligaments (anterior tibiotalar, tibionavicular, tibiocalcalcaneal, and posterior tibiotalar) that helps support the medial side of the ankle joint

dementia

Acquired loss of cognitive function that may affect language, attention, memory, personality, and abstract reasoning

demyelination

Destruction of myelin sheath that envelopes nervous system structures

density

Densities on plain x-rays vary from black to white, depending on the composition of the material the x-rays pass through; black indicates the lowest x-ray density (air) and white, the highest (bone)

diabetes mellitus

Common form of diabetes in which the body cannot properly store or use glucose (sugar), the body's main source of energy

diastolic pressure

Arterial pressure measured while the heart rests between beats

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic blueprint in all of our cells

back to top

 

 

E

echocardiogram

Record produced by echocardiography

echocardiography

Noninvasive cardiac imaging procedure used to diagnose heart disease, valve disorders (valvular heart disease), weakened heart muscle, fluid around the heart (pericarditis), and other abnormalities or defects by reflecting sound waves off the heart

edema

Swelling as a result of fluid retention

EEG (electroencephalogram)

Test used to study brain wave activity, often used to evaluate seizure disorders

ejection fraction

Percentage of blood that is ejected out of the left ventricle into the aorta with each heart beat

electrocardiography/electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG)

Graphical recording of the electrical currents that pass through the heart muscle during each heartbeat; commonly called an EKG because the procedure was developed in the Netherlands, where it was spelled "electrokardiogram"

EMG/NCV (electromyography/nerve conduction study)

Test to study the nerves and muscles for diagnosis of disorder, with electrical conduction studied in the NCV

encephalitis

Inflammation or infection of the brain

endocarditis

Inflammation and infection of a heart valve or the lining of the heart's chambers

endothelium

Layer of epithelial cells that lines the cavities of the heart, blood vessels, and the serous cavities of the body

epilepsy

Episodic disorder resulting from temporary brain dysfunction which produces convulsive or nonconvulsive seizures

evoked potentials

Series of electrophysiological tests to evaluate the function of specific nervous system elements associated with multiple sclerosis

exacerbation

Worsening of symptoms

back to top

 

 

F

fasciculation

Twitching of the muscles that is seen in diseases of the peripheral nervous system

fibrillation

Uncontrolled rapid contraction of the fibers in the heart that occurs in the atrial, or upper, chambers (atrial fibrillation) and in the ventricular, or lower, chambers (ventricular fibrillation)

back to top