unit 1c

Question 1

Differential Diagnosis

Answer 1

a systematic method of diagnosing a disorder

Question 2

Mental status

Answer 2

psychological & behavioral functioning determined through observation & questioning

Question 3

Edema

Answer 3

swelling due to excess fluid

Question 4

Sclerosis

Answer 4

scarring; commonly seen in chronic epilepsy & long-term M.S.

Question 5

Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.)

Answer 5

An autoimmune disease in which the patient’s immune system attacks myelin in the brain & spinal cord

Causing lesions & symptoms that shift over time & eventually lead to sclerosis

Question 6

Structural imaging

Answer 6

X-Ray, Computed tomography (CT) scan, Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Question 7

Functional Imaging

Answer 7

Electroencephalogram (EEG), Positron emission tomography (PET), Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Question 8

Functional Magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Answer 8

MRI scanning that detects changes in blood flow in the brain to see which areas are functionally active.

Useful for detecting early stroke & cognitive disorders (ex; dementia)

Question 9

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Answer 9

PET measure metabolism by using radioactively tagged metabolic molecules that have been injected into bloodstream

Useful for disorder that have metabolic problems, such as dementia, stroke, & brain tumor.

Question 10

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 10

using electrodes placed either above (in most cases) or below the scalp (rarely), electrical activity in the brain is recorded

Useful for evaluating seizures, lvl of arousal, delirium, & brain death

Question 11

X-ray

Answer 11

2-D structural image created by differential radiation absorption in different tissues.

Useful for imaging skull fracture, foreign objects

Question 12

Computed tomography (CT) scan

Answer 12

scan that acquires lrg series of 2-D X-ray images. Computer processing creates 3-D image of inside of an object. May be used w/ dye.

Useful for quick viewing of skull fractures, stroke, bleeding, and brain swelling

Question 13

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Answer 13

Multiple types: T1,T2, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

Question 14

T1-weighted MRI

Answer 14

weighting w/ contrast dye is useful for eval. brain tumor, ischemia, hemorrhage, infection/inflam.

T1-weighing w/o a contrast due is useful for examining major structural anomalies

Question 15

T2-weighted MRI

Answer 15

Aka Diffusion weighting (w/o contrast dye)

Useful for eval. brain tumor, ischemia, stroke, changes in myelination, chronic epilepsy scarring, & edema. Water appears bright in T-2 weighted scans

Question 16

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

Answer 16

type of T-2 diffusion weighting which makes it possible to estimate location, orientation, & anisotropy of the brain’s white matter tracts

The fact that water diffuses more quickly along white matter tract than across it is used by computer algorithms to create a representation of white matter tracts from many diffusion-weighted images.