Conditions + Diseases Flashcards
Common IONM Vocabulary
Facet Subluxation
Malalignment of opposing facets, allowing one cervical vertebral body to rotate around another.
Osteophyte
Bony excrescence or osseous outgrowth, usually found around the joint area of bone.
Otitis
Inflammation of the ear.
Vertigo
Hallucination that one is moving or their surrounding environment is moving. A symptom found in those with diseases of the labyrinth, vestibular nerve, or its nuclei in the brain stem.
Acoustic Reflex
Auditory/Facial nerve reflex arc that pulls the acoustic muscle tight, blocking hearing.
Muscular Dystrophy
A group of degenerative muscle disorders resulting in atrophy and weakness.
Tic Douloureaux (Trigeminal Neuralgia)
Compression of the trigeminal nerve by a vessel (usually SCA) causing attacks of severe facial pain.
Labyrinthine Disease
Malfunction of the inner ear characterized by deafness, tinnitus, vertigo, nausea, and vomiting.
Myelitis
Inflammation of the spinal cord.
Ankylosing Spondylitis
A type of rheumatoid arthritis disease causing spontaneous fusion of the spine. May also affect other large joints.
Osteopathy
Any disease of the bones.
Claudication
Inadequate blood flow to large muscle groups of lower limbs resulting from hardening of the arteries, causing pain, numbness, or heaviness in muscle groups. Triggered by exercise and relieved by rest.
Spondylo
Root disease.
Otalgia
Pain in the ear.
Myelopathy
Functional disturbances or pathological changes in the spinal cord.
Myelomenigocele
Protruding sac of the meninges, filled with fluid and possibly nerve root or spinal cord fibers via a defect in the spinal canal.
Osteoporosis
Diminution of both the mineral and matrix components of bone such that the remaining bone is normal in composition but reduced in total bone mass. The secondary cause of osteoporosis is immobilization such as casting. Primary osteoporosis is an age-related disorder characterized by decreased bone mass and by increased susceptibility to fractures in the absence of other recognizable causes of bone loss.
Spondyloexarthrosis
Dislocation of a vertebra.
Luxation
Dislocation of bone or bones at a joint site.
Patellar Reflex
Normal monosynaptic sensorimotor reflex elicited by tapping the patellar tendon, causing contraction of the extensor muscles of the upper leg (kicking motion).
Pseudoarthrosis
False joints that result from non-union of a fracture or from a pathologic bone condition.
Spondylolysis
Disruption of the pars interarticularis (a portion of bone between each of the joints of the back), allowing one vertebral body to slide forward on the next.
Bell’s Palsy
Paralysis of the facial muscles due to facial nerve dysfunction.
Horner’s Syndrome
Sinking of the eyeball, ptosis of the upper eyelid, slight elevation of the lower lid constriction of the pupil, narrowing of the palpebral fissure, and anhidrosis and flushing of the affected side of the face. Caused by paralysis of the cervical sympathetic nerves.
Kyphosis
Excessive curvature of the thoracic spine.
Otitis Media
Acute infection of the middle ear cavity with the reddening and outward bulging of the eardrum, which may rupture.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
A mechanical problem related to the exit of arteries and nerves at the base of the neck leading down the arm, and can also involve the vein bringing blood back from the arm. Compression of these structures as they pass through a narrow foramen between the scalenus anticus muscle and the first rib. Early signs are pain in the hand or shoulder. Arteries may be damaged in the process and cause an aneurysm in the area with possible break off of blood clot.
Syringomyelia
Progressive cavitation within the central (usually cervical) spinal cord, resulting in segmental muscle weakness and loss of pain and temperature sensation.
Myasthenia Gravis
Syndrome of attacks of muscle weakness that are episodic and reversible. Also called Erb-Goldflam disease.
Osteoma
Hard tumor of bone-like structure developing on the bone. Benign tumor or spongy bone.
Lordosis
Excessive curvature of the lumbar spine.
Myesthenia Gravis
Muscle disorder involving the insufficient production of acetylcholinesterase resulting in weakened muscles.
Osteomyelitis
Inflammation of bone marrow, cortex, tissue, and periosteum. Can be caused by an organism, usually bacteria.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Lou Gerig’s disease. Progressive nervous disorder which attacks motor fibers, causing progressive paralysis.