Medical Terminology Simplified

Short episodes of neurological dysfunction due to temporary interference with blood

supply to the brain, lasting a few minutes to a few hours; also called ministroke

TIAs may recur, and each TIA increases the risk of a subsequent stroke. The neurological

symptoms range according to the amount of ischemia and the location of the vessels

involved, but it does not destroy brain cells or cause permanent disability.

Diagnostic Procedures

Endocrine System

Test that measures glucose levels in the blood after the patient has fasted (not eaten)

for at least 8 hours; also called fasting blood sugar (FBS)

FBG helps determine if the pancreas is secreting a normal amount of insulin and diagnose

other pancreatic disorders, such as diabetes and hypoglycemia.

Screening test in which a patient fasts for 8 to 12 hours, ingests glucose, and then

undergoes blood draws to determine how quickly the glucose is cleared from the

blood; also called oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)

GTT helps diagnose diabetes with higher accuracy than other blood glucose tests. It also

helps diagnose gestational diabetes or rarer disorders of carbohydrate metabolism.

Imaging procedure that measures levels of radioactivity in the thyroid after oral or IV

administration of radioactive iodine

RAIU is used to determine thyroid function by monitoring the thyroid’s ability to take

up (uptake) iodine from the blood.

Additional Medical Terms • CHAPTER 9 435

Normal spine Spina bifida occulta Spina bifida with

meningocele

Spina bifida with

meningomyelocele

Abnormal

opening

in bone

Meninges

Meninges

Spinal

cord

Spinal

cord

Figure 9-11Spina bifida.

transient ischemic attack

(TIA)

TRĂN-zhĕnt ĭs-KĒ-mĭk

ischem: to hold back;

block

-ic: pertaining to

fasting blood glucose (FBG)

glucose tolerance test (GTT)

radioactive iodine uptake

(RAIU) test