15 Neurosurgical terminology and clinical procedures. terms
This Glossary contains terms used by medical professionals to describe various medical conditions and anomalies.
aneurysm clip
compound noun
A tiny, permanent metal device used in brain surgery to pinch off a weak, bulging blood vessel and stop blood from filling it.
Example: During the delicate brain surgery, the neurosurgeon placed a tiny titanium aneurysm clip across the neck of the bulging blood vessel to permanently stop blood flow into it.
fr: clip pour anévrisme
benign
adjective
Not cancerous: In healthcare, a benign tumor or growth does not spread to other parts of the body.
Not life-threatening: It is not expected to cause death or severe harm, though it can still cause local pressure if it grows large.
Example: There are a number of causes of jaundice, some of them BENIGN and some of them malignant and looking at your clinical picture and the story you have told us, we cannot rule out the possibility that you may have a cancer that is obstructing your bile system, which is why you are suffering from jaundice.
fr: bénin
biopsy
noun
A medical procedure where a doctor removes a small sample of tissue or cells from the body to check for disease under a microscope.
Example: In the absence of the bullae, no definitive diagnosis was made from this BIOPSY.
fr: biopsie
brain
noun
The main organ of the nervous system located inside the skull that controls thought, memory, emotion, and body movements.
Example: Many researchers identify the mesolimbic dopamine pathway (MDP) as the final common mediator of reward and of pleasure in the BRAIN, but since the 1980s this conclusion has been partly challenged by a number of studies that suggest that the MDP mediates not pleasure, but another, related emotive process; desire (Berridge & Robinson, 1998; Berridge, 2003; Philips, 2003) and that pleasure is generated elsewhere.
fr: cerveau
Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator
compound noun
An advanced medical device that uses high-frequency sound waves to break apart and suction out soft tissue during operations.
Example: The Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA) is essential in neurosurgery because it removes tumor tissue with minimal damage to healthy brain structures.
fr: aspirateur chirurgical à ultrasons Cavitron
disorder
noun
A functional abnormality in how a body part or system works, which may not always have a known structural cause or clear-cut signs.
Example: Preliminary desk work involved ensuring all potential participants met the same criteria pertaining to their psychotic DISORDER, substance misuse, age, contact with mental health services, amount of contact with caregivers and lack of organic brain disease, other medical illness or learning disability.
fr: trouble
head trauma
compound noun
Any physical damage to the scalp, skull, or brain caused by an external force.
Example: Minor HEAD TRAUMA such as hitting head on impact could cause haemorrhage in an elderly patient predisposed to haemtoma formation as a result of cerebral atrophy and stretching of veins in the subdural space..
fr: traumatisme crânien
health
noun
A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
Example: Precautionary measures used as an element of trade policy, may be imposed in order to ban or reduce inflow of goods that raise concerns in terms of protecting the public HEALTH.
fr: santé
malignant
adjective
Cancerous Growths: A malignant tumor invades nearby tissues and spreads through the blood or lymph system, unlike a harmless or benign growth.
Example: An estimated 1 in 3 people will develop cancer during the course of their lives, of which the four most common cancers - breast, lung, colorectal and prostate - account for over half of the 270,000 new cases of MALIGNANT cancer registered each year (1).
fr: maligne
nerve
noun
Cable-like bundles of fiber in the body that send electrical and chemical messages between the brain, spinal cord, and other organs.
Example: Excepting the small operative risk of facial NERVE paralysis, prognosis is excellent, with low recurrence rates.Impact on your learning describe what you have learnt from this case history and examination of a neck lump, common causes of neck lumps, operative complications near the facial NERVE.
fr: nerf
sickness
noun
The state of being in poor health, having a specific disease, or feeling a strong urge to throw up.
Example: If living in an area were every one is in the same situation there is more SICKNESS and death the problem amplify, waiting lists increase, there is less hospital support and they are les clinically effective, doctors also have to shoulder more case loads with more work therefore health care access and quality decreases (Townsend 1982).
fr: maladie
skull
noun
The skeletal framework of the head in vertebrates that encases the brain and supports the face.
Example: The brain will swell and the lobes will push on the SKULL causing bruising and damaging the tissue.
fr: crâne
spinal cord
compound noun
A long, fragile tube of nervous tissue that runs from the base of the brain down through the center of the spine.
Example: The corticospinal tract decussates in the SPINAL CORD, activity thus originating in the cerebral hemisphere will influence the contralateral side of the body explaining why disruption of the nervous activity originating in the motor cortex of the 'infarcted' left hemisphere impacts on the right side of the body (decreasing muscle size) in this patient.
fr: moelle épinière
treatment
noun
The use of medicines, surgery, or therapy to cure or manage an illness or injury.
Example: Insects are not only used in research but also as a medical TREATMENT, maggot therapy was common in the 1930s and '40s and was reintroduced in the 1990s as a rapid, effective TREATMENT for large necrotic wounds (Mumcuoglu et al , 1999).
fr: traitement
tumor
noun
An abnormal mass of tissue that forms when cells grow and divide too fast or do not die when they should.
Example: Most breast tumors develop oestrogen resistance though, making endocrine treatment useless and therefore relying on the more traditional methods, such as radiotherapy and possibly surgery. So it can be seen that for a TUMOR to develop in breast tissue there has to be a series of errors, involving damage to DNA, damage.
