Physical Exam Terminology Flashcards
what is it called when a patient appears thin and weak due to chronic illness
cachectic
what is the mucous membrane that covers the front of the eye and lines the insides of the eyelids
conjunctiva
what does PERRLA stand for
pupils equally round and reactive to light accomodation
what does EOM stand for
extra ocular movements intact
what is optic disc swelling due to increased cranial pressure called
papilledema
what is intracranial pressure due to
pressure in the skull and brain tissue due to CSF
what is a fundus exam
the fund is the interior lining of the eyeball, during the exam the physician uses a ophthalmoscope to look for abnormalities
what is it called when the eyeballs or protrude forward out of the head
exopthalmos
what is it called when the sclera of the eye is yellow
scleral icterus
what is scleral icterus indicative of
liver failure
what is involuntary eye movement called
nystagmus
what is the external portion of the ear called
auricle
what is ear wax called
cerumen
what is another name for the eardrum
tympanic membrane
what is dullness in the ear
when light does not reflect off of the tympani membrane surface. this could mean there’s fluid in the middle ear which is the sign of an ear infection
what is the presence of blood in the tympanic cavity of the middle ear called
hemotympanum
what is hemotympanum a sign of
basilar skull fracture
what is having no teeth called
edentulous
what could dry mucous membranes be a sign of
the patient has a dry mouth and is dehydrated
what is a white coating on the mouth and tongue due to a fungal infection called
thrush
what is the term for a red throat
pharyngeal erythema
what is tonsillar exudate
exudate is pus, can be yellow, white, or clear fluid, when an injury occurs leaving skin exposed, fluid leaks out of the blood vessels and into nearby tissues
what is stridor
a harsh vibrating noise when breathing caused by an obstruction of the windpipe or larynx
what is abnormal enlargement of the thyroid called
thyromegaly
what is the enlargement of the lymph nodes called
lymphadenopathy
what qualifies as tachycardia
greater than 100 bpm
what qualifies as bradycardia
less than 60 bpm
what is ectopy
extra heart beats outside the normal rhythm frequently related to the electrical conduction system of the heart
what does ectopy feel like to patients
a flip or a jolt
what is a heart murmur
an abnormal heart sound
what does a heart murmur sound like
a whopping or swishing
what is a gallop
an abnormal heart sound, there are sounds S1 and S2 known as Lub-dub. if there are three or four sounds called S3 or S4 it is indicative of heart failure or pulmonary edema
what is a pericardial rub
an extra heart soundd of to and fro character, typically one systolic and two diastolic, resembles sound of squeaky leather
what is carotid bruit
provider listens to the carotid artery with a stethoscope, a sound heart over the carotid artery due to decreased blood flow
what is jugular vein distention indicative of
heart failure or anything that interferes with filling of the right atrium
what is normal blood flow to the extremities called
normal perfusion
what is capillary refill
rate at which blood refills the capillaries
what is the DP pulse
dorsalis pedis pulse found on the top of the foot
where is the femoral pulse found
in the inguinal area
how is pitting edema measured
depressing the skin with a finger. if this causes an indentation that stays for some time after release, this is referred to as pitting edema. can be measured from 1+ to 4+
what can pitting edema be indicative of
heart failure
what is auscultation
the act of listening to lung sounds with a stethoscope
what is bibasilar
at the base of both lungs
what does wheezing sound like
a high pitched whistling sound
what do rales sound like
crackles
what do rhonchi sound like
whistling or snoring sound
what are retractions
when there is a partial blockage in the upper airway or the small airways in the lungs, air cannot flow freely and the pressure in this part of the body decreases so intercostal muscles are sucked in sharply
what is tripod position
when a patient sits or stands leaning forward, supporting the upper body with hands or knees on another surface
what is tachypnea
abnormally rapid breathing
what is increased ventilation of the alveoli called
hyperventilation
what is tapping on the chest called
percussion
what is the belly button called
umbilicus
what does RUQ stand for
right upper quadrant of abdomen
what is RUQ pain indicative of
problems with the gallbladder
what is RLQ
right lower quadrant of the abdomen
what does tenderness in RLQ a sign of
a problem with the appendix or ovaries
what would pain in the LUQ be a sign of
problems with colon
what would LLQ pain be a sign of
problems with the ovaries in a female
what is epigastric
in the mid abdomen above the belly button
what is guarding
when physician palpates the abdomen, guarding is the tensing of the abdominal wall muscles in order to guard the inflamed organs within the abdomen from pain due to the pushing
what is rebound tenderness
pain upon removal of pressure rather than application of pressure to the abdomen
what does the presence of guarding or rebound suggest
abnormality in the peritoneal cavity
what is Murphys sign
an exam finding that indicates a potential abnormality of the gallbladder often associated with acute cholcystitis
how is the Murphys sign exam performed
asking the patient to breathe out and gently placing the hand in the RUQ. then the patient is asked to breathe, if the gallbladder is tender and in moving downward catches the examiners hand the test indicates acute cholecystitis
what is mcburneys point
the name given to the point over the right side of the abdomen that Is one third of the distance from the iliac crest to the belly button. this point roughly corresponds to the appendix
what is obturator sign
test for appendicitis
how is the obturator sign test performed
the patient lies on her back with the hip and knee both flexed at 90 degrees. the examiner holds the patients ankle with one hand and the knee with the other. the examiner rotates the hip by moving the patients ankle was from the patients body while allowing the one to move only inward. if pain results this can be indicative of appendicitis
what is psoas’s sign
test for appendicitis
how is the test for psoas’s sign performed
the provider passively extends the thigh of a patient lying on their side with legs extended, if pain results this can be indicative of appendicitis
what is rovsing’s sign
test for appendicitis
how do you test for rovsings sign
palpation in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen increases pain in the right lower quadrant
what are loud bowel sounds called
hyperactive bowel sounds
what are quiet bowel sounds called
hypoactive bowel sounds
what is an enlarged spleen called
splenomegaly
what is an enlarged liver called
heptomegaly
what is an enlarged liver and spleen called
hepatosplenomegaly
what are ascites
the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity causing abdominal swelling
what are hemorrhoids
swollen and inflamed veins in the rectum and anus that cause discomfort and bleeding
what is a guaiac test
a test to check for invisible amounts of blood in the stool
what is a hernia
bulging of an organ or tissue through an abnormal opening
what is an incarcerated hernia
a hernia that cannot be manually pushed back in
what happens in an incarcerated hernia
if a loop of intestine becomes trapped in the abdominal wall, it can obstruct the bowel, l
what is an umbilical hernia
the intestine protrudes through abdominal muscles in the belly belly button
what is the skin between the anus and the reproductive organs called
perineum
how is a pelvic exam performed
inspects the external genitalia looking for irritation, redness. then they use a speculum to spread open the vaginal walls and view the vagina and cervix. then the provider inserts two lubricated gloved fingers into the vagina with one hand, while the other presses gently not he outside of the lower abdomen , checks the size and shape of the uterus and ovaries
what does CMT stand for
cervical motion tenderness
what is CMT
patient experiences tenderness when provider moves fingers around the cervix during a bimanual pelvis exam, if positive can be indicative of pelvic inflammatory disease
what is another word for pregnant
gravid
what is adnexa
structures used to connect organs, referring to adnexa of the uterus which are the ovaries and fallopian tubes
what is torsion
refers to an organ twisting, interrupts the blood supply to that organ
what is GCS
glasgow coma scale
what is the GCS
a neurological scale which aims to give a reliable and objective way of recording the conscious state of a person the score is between 3 and 15
what are DTRs
deep tendon reflexes
how do you test DTRs
when a muscle tendon is tapped briskly the muscle contracts. a normal reflex is 2+ is lowered reflex it’d be +1 or 0
what is ataxia
a neurological sign consisting of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements that includes gait abnormality
what is hemiplegia
paralysis of one side of the body
what is hemiparesis
weakness of one side of the body
what is Romberg’s test
tests, proprioception, vestibular function, and vision. tested by asking a patient to stand and close their eyes, if they can’t stand this is a positive rombergs test
what is pronator drift
indication of a subtle upper motor neuron disorder a patient is asked to hold both arms fully extended at shoulder level and hold the position, if they can’t maintain the position the result is positive, closing the eyes accentuates the effect because the brain is deprived of visual information about the position of the body and must rely on proprioception. if one of the hands turns over the test is positive
what is aphasia
the loss of the ability to produce language
what is dysarthria
slurred speech due to the inability to properly move the muscles of the tongue and mouth to produce clear an dconcise speech
what does BUE stand for
bilateral upper extremities
what does BLE stand for
bilateral lower extremities
what is LUE
left upper extremity
what is RUE
right upper extremity
what is another word for elbow
olecranon
what are the bones of the wrist
carpals
what is the mcp joint
metacarpophapange al joint, joints between the metacarpal bones and the phalanges of fingers
what is the PIP joint
proximal interphalangeal joint
what is the DIP joint
distal interphalangeal joint
what’s the snuff box
a triangular deepening on the hand, tenderness in this area indicates a fracture
what is the malleolus
the bony prominence on each side of the ankle
what does AKA and BKA stand for
above the knee and below the knee
what is joint effusion
the presence of increased intra-articular fluid, swollen joint due to increased fluid
what is nail clubbing
deformity of the finger or toe nails associated with a number of diseases
what is paraspinal muscle tenderness
tenderness along the paraspinal msucles
what is spinal stenosis
narrowing of the spinal canal
what is foramina stenosis
narrowing of the passageways between each stacked vertebra. nerves leave the spinal cord and travel to the rest of the body through these passageways
what is a herniated disc
a condition when the soft center of the spinal disc pushes through a crack in the tougher exterior casing
what does the straight leg raise test test for
a test to determine whether a patient with low back pain has a herniated disk, with patient lying down the provider lifts the patients leg if the patient has pain down the leg when it is at an angle between 30 and 70 degrees then the test it positive
what is sciatica
low back pain radiating along the sciatic nerve, running down one or both legs caused by a herniated disk
what is CVA tenderness
the costovertebral angle is known as your flank, tenderness is determined by tapping on the area of the back overlying the kidneys, if the patient has tenderness they often have a kidney infection
what is supple
when the neck can be easily bent
what is nuchal rigidity
neck stiffness, can be a sign of meningitis
what is brudzinkskis sign
a test for meningitis, severe neck stiffness causes a patients hips and knees to flex when the neck is flexed. positive for meningitis
what is kernigs sign
test for meningitis, sever stiffness of the hamstrings causes an inability to straighten the leg when the hip is flexed to 90 degrees
what is meningismus
clinical signs of meningitis, nuchal rigidity, photophobia, and headache
what is crepitus
a medical term to describe the grating, crackling or popping sounds and sensations experienced under the skin and joints as bones rub together or a crackling sensation due to the presence of air in the subcutaneous tissue
what is urticaria
hives
what is blanching
a rash that disappears when pressed
what is tinea
very common, highly contagious, final infection of the skin or scalp, ring like appearance, “ringworm”
what is turgor
a sign used by health care workers to assess fluid loss or dehydration. to determine skin turgor, the skin on the back of the hand is grasped so it is tented up, the skin is held for a few seconds an d released. skin with normal turgor snaps back into position
what is redness of the skin called
erythema
what is another word for pus
purulent
what is induration
a term describing how inflamed and infected skin feels when pushed. if the skin has induration the skin feels hard when pressed
what is fluctuance
how inflamed and infection skin feels when pressed. if there is fluctuant the skin has a pocket of pus
what is another name for ecchymosis
bruising
what is a hematoma
a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues
what is cyanosis
a bluish discoloration of the skin
what is petechiae
pinpoint round sports that appear on the skin as a result of bleeding, the petechiae appears red, brown, or purple
what is purpura
purple colored spots on the skin, its when small blood vessels leak blood under the skin
