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May 24, 2013


Spinal Tap Glossary of Terms

The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Spinal Tap article.

Abscess: A local accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. The following are some example...

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Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

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Anesthesiologist: A physician or, less often, a dentist who is specialized in the practice...

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Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

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Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

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Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

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Caffeine: A stimulant compound found naturally in coffee, tea, cocoa (chocolate), and kola...

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Cerebrospinal fluid: A watery fluid that is continuously produced and absorbed and that fl...

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Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

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CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

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Cyst: A closed sac or capsule, usually filled with fluid or semisolid material.

Drip: Short for intravenous drip, a device for administering a fluid drop-by-drop into a v...

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Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

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Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

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Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

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Hemorrhage: Bleeding or the abnormal flow of blood.

Herniation: Abnormal protrusion of tissue through an opening.

Immunization: Vaccination. Immunizations work by stimulating the immune system, the natur...

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Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

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Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

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Intracranial: Within the cranium, the bony dome that houses and protects the brain.

Lumbar: Referring to the five lumbar vertebrae, the disks below them, and the correspondin...

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Lumbar puncture: A procedure in which cerebrospinal fluid is removed from the spinal canal...

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Lumbar vertebrae: The five vertebrae situated between the thoracic vertebrae and the sacra...

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Lyme disease: An inflammatory disease that is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi...

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Meningitis: Inflammation of the meninges, the three membranes that envelop the brain and t...

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Multiple sclerosis: A disease that is characterized by loss of myelin (demyelinization). A...

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Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

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Numb: Numb, or numbness is a loss of the sensation of feeling in an area of the body. Numb...

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Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

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Pain management: The process of providing medical care that alleviates or reduces pain. Mi...

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Pelvis: The lower part of the abdomen, located between the hip bones. Structures in the fe...

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Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

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Pus: A thick, whitish-yellow fluid that results from the accumulation of white blood cells...

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Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

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Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

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Sclerosis: Localized hardening of skin. Sclerosis is generally caused by underlying diseas...

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Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

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Skull: The skull is a collection of bones which encase the brain and give form to the hea...

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Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

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Spinal cord: The major column of nerve tissue that is connected to the brain and lies with...

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Spinal tap: Also known as a lumbar puncture or "LP", a spinal tap is a procedure whereby ...

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Subarachnoid: Literally, beneath the arachnoid, the middle of three membranes that cover t...

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Subarachnoid hemorrhage: A bleeding into the subarachnoid, the space between the arachnoid...

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Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Vertebrae: The preferred plural of vertebra. (The alternate plural is vertebras.) See also...

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