Nuchal Rigidity: Muscle stiffness in
the back portion of the neck.
Nystagmus: Constant, involuntary and cyclical movement
of the eyeball. The movement has no particular direction.
Obex: Point in the human brain at which the fourth
ventricle narrows to become the central canal of the spinal cord.
Occipital: The back portion of the head.
Occipital Bone: The cup-like bone located at the back of
the skull, marked by a large opening known as the foramen magnum.
Opisthotonos: Backward arching of the head, neck or back
with stiffness in the complete body.
Papilledema: Swelling of the optic nerve at the point
from where it enters into the eyeball.
Paraparesis: Partial paralysis affecting the lower
limbs.
Paraspinous muscles: Muscles on either side of the
spine.
Paresthesia: Abnormal sensation of the skin such as
numbness, prickling, and tingling.
Paucity: Lower in number.
Peduncle: A band that connects the part of the brain.
Percutaneous aspiration: Drawing in or out through the
skin.
Peritoneum: The membrane that lines the abdominal cavity
and covers the visceral organs.
Permeable: Allowing passage for fluid or substances in
solution.
Pia Mater: The inner membrane of the meninges which
encloses the spinal cord and brain.
Platybasia: An acquired softening of the skull or
developmental anomaly of the skull resulting in the floor of the posterior
cranial fossa to bulge upward in the region adjacent to the foramen magnum.
Pleural: Thin covering that protects the lungs.
Pleural Space: Space between the lungs and the membranes
surrounding the lungs.
Polygyria: Excess of the normal number of convolutions
of the brain.
Posterior: Pertaining to the back of the body.
Posterior Fossa: Depression in the back of the skull,
where the cerebellum lies.
Posterior Fossa Angiogram: A study of the blood vessel
structures located at the back of the brain cerebrum.
Prone: Lying horizontal with face down.
Proprioception: The awareness of posture, movement and
changes in equilibrium. It relates to the knowledge of position, weight, and
resistance of an object in relation to the body.
Proximal: Closer to the origin or midlin; opposite of
distal.
Ptosis: A condition when the upper eyelids droop because
of weakness. Often related to the third cranial nerve.
Queckenstedt: A sign used for diagnostic purposes on
compression of the veins of the neck, unilaterally or bilaterally. CSF
pressure rises rapidly in healthy persons; this disappears when pressure is
released.
Reflex: An automatic response mediated by the nervous
system.
Reflux: A return or backwards flow.
Respiratory Distress: Difficulty breathing and
retractions (Noisy congested breathing).
Reticular Formation: Groups of cells and fibers arranged
in a diffused network throughout the brain stem.
Rhomboencephalon: A primary division of the embryonic
brain that gives rise to the metencephalon and myelencephalon. It comprises
of pons, cerebellum, and medullar oblongata. Also known as the hindbrain.
Sagittal: A plane or section that divides the body
bilaterally.
Scoliosis: A side to side curvature of the vertebral
column.
Sensory: Relating to sensation (pain, touch,
temperature).
Sheath: A elongated membrane that covers the surface.
Shunt: Passage constructed to divert flow.
Skull Series: X-rays that captures the view of skull
from different positions.
Sleep Apnea: Pause of breathing or airflow while
sleeping.
SM: Syringomyelia.
Somatosensory Evoked Potentials: A test of the brain
performed by electrical stimulation. It helps to observe the reactions of
body sensations relating to the body's superficial and deep parts as
contrasted to specialized senses such as sight. Responses to these tests is
used in evaluations of neurological disorders.
Spasticity: A state of increased tone of a muscle,
stiffness.
Spina Bifida: Inability of the spine to close properly
during the first month of pregnancy. In severe cases, the spinal cord
protrudes through the back.
Stenosis: Narrowing or constriction of a passage.
Stent: A material used for holding tissues in place or
provide a support for a grafting or a suturing of two ends of a tissue until
healing takes place.
Strabismus: Disorder of the eyes in which the two
eyeballs cannot be directed at the same object.
Stridor: A noise or harsh sound made during respiration.
It produces a high pitch sound like the howling of the wind. It is caused
due to constriction of the air passages.
Subarachanoid Space: The space within the meninges
between the arachnoid mater and the pia mater.
Subcutaneous Tissue: Tissue found beneath the skin.
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