Unit 1C: Assessment

Question 1

Differential diagnosis

Answer 1

a systematic method of diagnosing a disorder

Question 2

Mental status

Answer 2

Psychological and behavioral functioning determined through observation and questioning

Question 3

Edema

Answer 3

swelling due to excess fluid

Question 4

Sclerosis

Answer 4

scarring; commonly seen in chronic epilepsy and 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 and spinal cord, causing lesions and symptoms that
shift over time and eventually lead to sclerosis

Question 6

X-ray

Answer 6

2D structural image created by differential radiation absorption in different tissues. Useful for imaging skull fracture, foreign objects.

Question 7

Computed tomography (CT) scan

Answer 7

a scan that acquires large series of two-dimensional X-ray images. Computer processing creates a 3D image of the inside of an object. May be used with dye. Useful for quick viewing of skull fractures, stroke, bleeding, and brain swelling

Question 8

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Answer 8

1. T1-weighting with a contrast dye is useful for evaluating brain tumor, ischemia, hemorrhage, and infection/inflammation. T1-weighting without a contrast dye is useful for examining major structural anomalies.
2. T2- or diffusion-weighting (without a contrast dye) is useful for evaluating brain tumor, ischemia, stroke, changes in myelination, chronic epilepsy scarring, and edema. Water appears bright in T2-weighted scans.
3. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a type of T2 diffusion weighting which makes it possible to estimate the location, orientation, and anisotropy of the brain’s white matter tracts. The fact that water diffuses more quickly along a white matter tract than across it is used by computer algorithms to create a representation of white matter tracts from many diffusion weighted images.

Question 9

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 9

Using electrodes placed either above (in most cases) or below the scalp (rarely in humans), electrical activity in the brain is recorded. Useful for evaluating seizures, level of arousal, delirium, and brain death

Question 10

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Answer 10

PET measures metabolism by using radioactively tagged metabolic molecules that have been injected into the bloodstream. Useful for disorders that have metabolic problems, such as dementia, stroke, and brain tumor.

Question 11

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Answer 11

MRI scanning that detects changes in blood flow in the brain to see which areas are functionally active. Useful for detecting early stroke and cognitive disorders (i.e., dementia).