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The doctor will perform a physical exam. Signs of this condition include: Swelling of a small area in the back of the eye (papilledema; Increased head size; Bulging anterior fontanelle in babies whose cranial sutures are not yet closed. Despite th...
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Pseudotumor cerebri is a chronic elevation of intracranial pressure that causes papilloedema and possibly blindness, which occurs in the absence of a mass lesion in the brain.
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Antithrombin III is a blood test that measures the amount of antithrombin III (AT III), a protein that helps control blood clotting.
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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.
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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.
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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 .
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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 .
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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).
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A CSF cell count is a test to measure the number of red and white blood cells that are in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF. CSF is a clear fluid that circulates in the space surrounding the spinal cord and brain.
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This test is an analysis of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF. CSF bathes, cushions, and protects the brain and spinal cord. It flows around the skull and spine in the subarachnoid space (the area immediately surrounding the brain and spinal cord. CSF chemistry test identifies chemicals such as proteins and glucose levels, which can help diagnose certain disorders and diseases.
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A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture is a laboratory test to look for bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the clear fluid that moves in the space surrounding the spinal cord.
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A cranial CT scan is computed tomography of the head, including the skull, brain, orbits (eye sockets), and sinuses.
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Lumbar puncture (LP) is the technique of using a needle to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the spinal canal. CSF is the clear, watery liquid that protects the central nervous system from injury and cushions it from the surrounding bone structure.
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Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is a laboratory test to examine a sample of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. This fluid is a clear, watery liquid that protects the central nervous system from injury and cushions it from the surrounding bone structure.
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ESR stands for erythrocyte sedimentation rate. It is a nonspecific screening test that indirectly measures how much inflammation is in the body.
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The sedimentation rate test, also called the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or sed rate test, measures the speed at which the red blood cells (erythrocytes or RBCs) separate from the liquid part of the blood (plasma) and settle to the bottom in a tube of anticoagulated blood. Purpose The sedimentation rate is a non-specific indicator of the presence of inflammation or infection .
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The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), or sedimentation rate (sed rate), is a measure of the settling of red blood cells in a tube of blood during one hour. The rate is an indication of inflammation and increases in many diseases.
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Factor V assay is a blood test to measure the activity of factor V - one of the substances involved in coagulation (blood clotting.
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An angiography is an x-ray of the arteries. The arteries are not normally seen in an x-ray, so a special material, called contrast dye, is injected into one or more arteries to make them visible. For a cerebral angiography, the contrast dye is injected into one or both of the carotid arteries in the neck.
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the newest diagnostic medical imaging technologies that uses strong magnets and pulses of radio waves to manipulate the natural magnetic properties in the body to generate a visible image. In the field of mental health, an MRI scan may be used when a patient seeks medical help for symptoms that could possibly be caused by a brain tumor.
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Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA)Magnetic resonance angiographyuses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to create images of blood vessels throughout the body. It combines the use of strong magnets and radio waves to form an image that can be viewe...
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Angiography is the x-ray study of the blood vessels. An angiogram uses a radiopaque substance, or dye, to make the blood vessels visible under x ray.
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a unique and versatile medical imaging modality. Doctors can obtain highly refined images of the body ' s interior using MRI.
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Cerebral circulation, the supply of blood to the brain Understanding how the brain is supplied with blood is important because a significant number of neurological disorders that result in hospital admissions are due to problems with cerebral vascular disease. In some hospitals, nearly half the admissions due to neurologic disorders relate in some form to problems with cerebral circulation.
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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.
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Serum iron is a test that measures how much iron is in your blood.
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Iron tests are a group of blood tests that are done to evaluate the iron level in blood serum, the body ' s capacity to absorb iron, and the amount of iron actually stored in the body. Iron is an essential trace element; it is necessary for the formation of red blood cells and certain enzymes.
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Iron tests consist of four assays performed on serum or plasma to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency or iron overload. These tests are serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), serum ferritin, and serum transferrin.
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Lyme disease antibody tests are used to confirm the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Part of the central nervous system located in the skull. Controls mental and physical actions of the organism.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 die off naturally, they divide too often and produce tumors that are made up of these extra cells.
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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.
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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.
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A neurological examination is an essential component of a comprehensive physical examination . It is a systematic examination that surveys the functioning of nerves delivering sensory information to the brain and caring motor commands (Peripheral nervous system) and impulses back to the brain for processing and coordinating (Central nervous system).
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Protein S is a substance that affects blood clotting. A blood test can be done to see how much of this protein you have in your blood.
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The slit-lamp examination looks at structures that are at the front of the eye.
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Total iron binding capacity (TIBC) is a blood test that shows if there is too much or too little iron in the blood. This test helps measure the ability of a protein called transferrin to carry iron in the blood.
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The visual field is the total area in which objects can be seen in the peripheral vision while the eye is focused on a central point.
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