Brain Cancer : Tests

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Like all other parts of the body, the brain and central nervous system are made up of cells that ordinarily grow and divide to create new cells as needed. This is usually an orderly process; but when cells lose their ability to grow normally or to...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Unlike other tumors, brain tumors spread by local extension and rarely metastasize (spread) outside the brain. A benign brain tumor is composed of non-cancerous cells and does not metasta...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue, either malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous), in the brain. Each year, more than 17,000 brain tumors are diagnosed in the United States.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
A brain biopsy is the removal of a small piece of brain tissue for the diagnosis of abnormalities of the brain, such as Alzheimer ' s disease , tumors, infection, or inflammation. Purpose By examining the tissue sample under a microscope, the biopsy sample provides doctors with the information necessary to guide diagnosis and treatment.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following: The number of red blood cells (RBCs; The number of white blood cells (WBCs; The total amount of hemoglobin in the blood; The fraction of the blood composed of red blood cells (hematocrit; The mean corpuscular volume (MCV) - the size of the red blood cells. CBC also includes information about the red blood cells that is calculated from the other measurements: MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. The platelet count is also usually included in the CBC.
Source:ADAM
Date:September 11, 2006
One of the most commonly ordered clinical laboratory tests, a blood count, also called a complete blood count (CBC), is a basic evaluation of the cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) suspended in the liquid part of the blood (plasma). It involves determining the numbers, concentrations, and conditions of the different types of blood cells.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
A complete blood count (CBC) is a series of tests used to evaluate the composition and concentration of the cellular components of blood. It consists of the following tests: red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, and platelet count; measurement of hemoglobin and mean red cell volume; classification of white blood cells (WBC differential); and calculation of hematocrit and red blood cell indices .
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
The clinical laboratory test that evaluates the three main cellular components of peripheral blood (red cells, white cells, and platelets) is called the " complete blood count " (CBC). It is used commonly to assess whether a patient is anemic (low red cell count), has an infection (increased white blood cells), or has abnormal blood coagulation (platelet levels).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health
A complete blood count (CBC) is a series of tests used to evaluate the composition and concentration of the cellular components of blood. It consists of the following tests: red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, and platelet count; measurement of hemoglobin and mean red cell volume; classification of white blood cells (WBC differential); and calculation of hematocrit and red blood cell indices .
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Surgery
A cranial CT scan is computed tomography of the head, including the skull, brain, orbits (eye sockets), and sinuses.
Source:ADAM
Date:October 25, 2006
Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross-sectional views of body organs and tissues.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Surgery
Injury to the head may damage the scalp, skull , or brain . The most important consequence of head injury is traumatic brain injury.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross- sectional views of body organs and tissues.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
CT imaging equipment includes conventional, spiral, multi-slice, and electron-beam computed tomography full-body scanners, which use x rays to acquire cross-sectional images and computer workstations to reconstruct acquired image data for display on a viewing monitor or printed on film. Also referred to as computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning equipment.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Computed tomography (also known as CT, CT scan, CAT, or computerized axial tomography) scans use x rays to produce precise cross-sectional images of anatomical structures. With the development of modern computers, the scans enhanced digital capabilities allowed the development of computed tomography imaging (derived from the Greek tomos , meaning " to slice " ).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Injury to the head may damage the scalp, skull or brain. The most important consequence of head trauma is traumatic brain injury.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Head injury is an injury to the scalp, skull, or brain. The most important consequence of head trauma is traumatic brain injury.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
During a physical examination, a health care provider studies a patient's body to determine the presence or absence of physical problems. A typical physical examination includes: Inspection (looking at the body; Palpation (feeling the body with hands; Auscultation (listening to sounds; Percussion (producing sounds.
Source:ADAM
Date:January 22, 2007
An MRI of the head is a noninvasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct clear, detailed pictures of brain tissues. Conventional radiography and computed tomographic (CT) imaging use potentially harmful radiation (x-rays) that passes through a patient to generate images. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is based on the magnetic properties of atoms, and there is no exposure to the same type of radiation used in x-rays and CT scans. A powerful magnet generates a magnetic field roughly 10,000 times stronger than the Earth's. A very small percentage of hydrogen atoms within the body will align with this field. Radio wave pulses are broadcast towards the aligned hydrogen atoms in tissues of interest, returning a signal of their own. The slight differences of those signals from different tissues enables MRI to tell the difference between various organs, and potentially, provide contrast between benign and malignant tissue. Any imaging angle, or "slice", can be projected, and then stored in a computer or printed on film. MRI can easily be performed through clothing and bones. However, certain types of metal in or around the area of interest can cause significant errors in the reconstructed images. These errors are called artifacts.
Source:ADAM
Date:October 25, 2006
Like all other parts of the body, the brain and central nervous system are made up of cells that ordinarily grow and divide to create new cells as needed. This is usually an orderly process; but when cells lose their ability to grow normally or to die off naturally, they divide too often and produce tumors that are made up of these extra cells.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Part of the central nervous system located in the skull. Controls mental and physical actions of the organism.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Congenital brain defects are a group of disorders of brain development that are present at birth. Brain development begins shortly after conception and continues throughout the growth of a fetus.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Brain abscess is a bacterial infection within the brain. The brain is usually well insulated from infection by bacteria, protected by the skull, the meninges (tissue layers surrounding the brain), the immune system, and the highly regulated barrier between the bloodstream and the brain.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Unlike other tumors, brain tumors spread by local extension and rarely metastasize (spread) outside the brain.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Congenital brain defects are a group of disorders of brain development. Brain development begins shortly after conception and continues throughout the growth of a fetus.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
The brain is the part of the central nervous system located in the skull. It controls the mental processes and physical actions of a human being.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
The brain is a large mass of soft nervous tissue made up of both neurons and supporting glial cells lying within the cranium of the skull. The brain contains both gray and white matter.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners rely on the principles of atomic nuclear-spin resonance. Using strong magnetic fields and radio waves, MRI collects and correlates deflections caused by atoms into images.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of physical trauma to the head causing damage to the brain. This damage can be focal, or restricted to a single area of the brain, or diffuse, affecting more than one region of the brain.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
The brain is the part of the central nervous system (CNS) inside the skull (the part outside the skull is the spinal cord ). It gives rise to cognitive thought processes and controls various body functions including muscular activity, speech, sight, hearing , breathing, and digestion.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue, either malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous), in the brain. Each year, more than 17,000 brain tumors are diagnosed in the United States.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging test that uses a radioactive substance (called a tracer) to look for disease in the body. Unlike magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans, which reveal the structure of organs, a PET scan shows how the organs and tissues are functioning. See also: Bone scan; Lung scan; Nuclear ventriculography; Pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan; Renal scan; Thyroid scan.
Source:ADAM
Date:July 17, 2007
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive scanning technique that utilizes small amounts of radioactive positrons (positively charged particles) to visualize body function and metabolism. PET is the fastest growing nuclear medicine tool in terms of increasing acceptance and applications.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
PET Scan Use in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment MonitoringFinding cancer at its earliest stage can give the best chance of being able to cure it. Different tests are used to find cancers and to help find out if the cancer has spread.
Source:StayWell
Rather than showing the structure of a body part, PET images show the chemical function of an organ or tissue. PET can show changes in how an organ or tissue works. This can help your healthcare provider diagnose problems and develop a treatment plan for you.
Source:StayWell
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a scanning technique used in conjunction with small amounts of radiolabeled compounds to visualize brain anatomy and function. A PET scan showing brain activity while patient recognizes faces- left sides at left/right sides at right.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
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