Question | Answer |
Amnesia | loss of memory |
Aura | symptoms occurring at the onset of a partial epileptic seizure or migraine headache; it may be tingling of the fingers, ringing in the ears and visual disturbances |
Carotid endarterectomy | surgical intervention to remove plaque in the carotid arteries to improve blood flow and reduce the risk of a thrombus |
Cauterization | the electrical burning of tissue to stop bleeding; used most frequently during surgery to stop bleeding from vessels |
Cephalalgia | headache |
Chorea | a constant, jerky, uncontrollable movement |
Convulsion | an abnormal muscle contraction; a violent spasm or jerking of the face, trunk or extremities |
Decompress | a release of pressure |
Dysphasia | difficulty speaking |
Epidural | between the skull and the dura matter |
Grand mal | a term applied to seizures that are the type most often thought of as epilepsy; these seizures are characterized by convulsions, loss of consciousness, urinary and fecal incontinence and tongue bitting |
Hemiparesis | weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the body |
Hydrophobia | fear of the water |
Hypothermia | a significantly low body temperature |
Intractable | difficult to stop or control |
Nuchal rigidity | a stiffness in the neck that resists bending the neck forward or sideways |
Paraplegia | a loss of movement and feeling in the trunk and both legs |
Paresthesia | abnormal sensation, burning, tingling, or numbness |
Petit mal | a term applied to a type of seizure; these seizures consist of a brie change in the level of consciousness without convulsions; the involved individual may show symptoms of blank staring, blinking, and/or twitching of the eyes or mouth |
Quadriplegia | a loss of movement and feeling in the trunk and all four extremities with the accompanying loss of bowel, bladder and sexual function |
Seizure | a sudden onset or attack but the term is commonly used to indicate a convulsive seizure as occurs in epilepsy |
Spinal stenosis | the condition of narrowing of a nerve root opening in the spinal column |
Status epilepticus | a life |
Subdural | between the outer (dura mater) layer and the middle (arachnoid) layer of the meninges |