Kids Medical Dictionary for Kids
CAUDATE NUCLEUS – Part of the basal ganglia, which are brain cells that lie deep in the brain. BELL’S PALSY – Paralysis of facial muscles due to facial nerve dysfunction of unknown cause. ATHETOSIS – A condition in which there is a succession of slow, writhing, involuntary movements of the fingers and hands, and sometimes of the toes and feet.
GLIOBLASTOMA – A rapidly growing tumor composed of primitive glial cells, mainly arising from astrocytes. GLASGOW OUTCOME SCALE – A widely used system of classifying outcomes after a head injury or other neurologic diseases. GAMMA KNIFE – Equipment that precisely delivers a concentrated dose of radiation to a predetermined target using gamma rays.
The committee’s primary reason for using guidelines as the general label was that the term is used this way in the legislation establishing AHCPR and by other sources such as the Physician Payment Review Commission. The four key terms employed in OBRA 89 have been defined and used in quite disparate ways. Words like guidelines and standards may mean one thing to clinicians, another to purchasers, and yet another to attorneys. (The study directors for this project discovered early in their work that they were using these terms differently.) Moreover, the same person may use the same term medical terms and definitions differently in different contexts.
TRANSSPHENOIDAL APPROACH – Operative method of reaching the pituitary gland or skull base traversing the nose and sinuses. STRABISMUS – Deviation of eye movement that prevents the two eyes from moving in a parallel fashion. SPONDYLOSIS – Degenerative bone changes in the spine are usually most marked at the vertebral joints.
For additional information about Licensing and State Authorization, and State Contact Information for Student Complaints, please see those sections of our catalog. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Some evidence shows the most engaged patients tend to have better outcomes.
The same difficulty also shows up in the health services literature. Based on its discussions in meetings and in other quarters, the committee believes its definition of practice guideline is, for the most part, practically and symbolically acceptable to varied groups. A few areas of potential controversy can be anticipated, however, and they are discussed below. SUBDURAL HEMATOMA – A collection of blood trapped under the dura mater, the outermost membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. EPENDYMOMA – A growth in the brain or spinal cord arising from ependymal tissue.
