Question | Answer |
muscular dystrophy | A group of inherited diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of muscle fibers without invovelment of the nervous system. |
polymyositis | Chronic inflammatory myopathy |
antinuclear antibody test (ANA) | Detects an antibody present in serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. |
erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) | Measures the rate at which erythrocytes settle to the bottom of a test tube. |
An elevated ESR is associated with... | inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, tumors, infections of bone and soft tissue. |
rheumatoid factor test (RF) | Serum is tested for the presence of an antibody found in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. |
serum calcium | Measurement of calcium level in serum. |
serum creatine kinase (CK) | Measurement of an enzyme (creatine kinase) in serum. |
Increased levels of of creatine kinase may be associated with... | muscular dystrophy, polymyositis, and traumatic injury. |
uric acid test | Measurement of uric acid in serum |
Increased levels of uric acid may indicate... | gouty arthritis. |
arthrocentesis | Surgical puncture to remove fluid from a joint space. Mainly used to analyze synovial fluid. |
arthrography | process of taking x-ray images after injection of contrast material into the joint. |
arthroplasty | Surgical repair of a joint. |
arthroscopy | Visual examination of the inside of a joint with an endoscope and television camera. Used in many surgeries to reduce recovery time. |
bone density test | Lower-energy x-ray absorption in bones of the spinal column, pelvis and wrist to measure bone mass. |
bone scan | Uptake of radioactive substance is measured in bone. |
Bone scans will show increased uptake of radioactive substance in areas such as... | tumors, sites of infection, inflammation and stress fractures. |
computed tomography (CT) | X-ray beam is used with a computer to provide cross sectional images. Used to identify soft tissue abnormalities, bone abnormalities and skeletal trauma. |
diskography | X-ray examination of cervical or lumbar intervertebral disk after injection of contrast into nucleus puposus (interior of disk) |