House, M.D./Tests, Tools and Indicators

Definitions in the House, M.D. Medical Dictionary relating to tests and other diagnostic and exploratory tools used by medical professionals, and the terms referring to results in those tests.

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24-hour urinary free cortisol level test

(Also UFC.) A diagnostic test most commonly used to look for Cushing's syndrome, in which the levels of cortisol in a patient's urine over the course of 24 hours are measured. (Appears in 1x16 - Heavy.)

A

angio

See angiography.

angiogram

See angiography.

angiography

(Also angio, angiogram.) A medical technique in which the heart and its blood vessels are viewed with X-rays. (Appears in 1x11 - Detox, 1x14 - Control, 1x16 - Heavy and 1x20 - Love Hurts.)

aspiration

See biopsy.

B

biopsy

A medical test in which cells or tissues are removed and examined. In an aspiration biopsy, a long, thin needle is used to remove the cells and tissues. (Appears throughout series.)

blood urea nitrogen

(Also BUN.) A measure of the amount of nitrogen in the blood from the chemical urea. It is an indicator of how well the liver and kidneys are working. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity, 1x05 - Damned If You Do and 1x18 - Babies & Bathwater.)

BUN

See blood urea nitrogen.

C

CA-125

A cancer antigen, which, if it appears in high numbers, may indicate several types of cancer, especially ovarian cancer. (Appears in 1x10 - Histories.)

catheter

A tube which can be inserted into the body to drain or draw fluids, such as blood or urine. (Appears in 1x22 - Honeymoon.)

CAT scan

See computed axial tomography scan.

CBC

See complete blood count.

centrifuge

A common device which, in medicine, spins a sample at a high speed to separate biocompounds using centrifugal force. (Appears in 1x07 - Fidelity.)

CHEM-7

A battery of blood tests which checks for levels of sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and glucose. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity, 1x12 - Sports Medicine and 1x19 - Kids.)

colonoscopy

See endoscopy.

complete blood count

(Also CBC.) A test which measures the amount of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in a person. (Appears throughout series.)

computed axial tomography scan

(Also CAT scan, CT scan.) A method of imaging which constructs a three-dimensional image of the insides of an object by putting together a large series of two-dimensional X-rays of that object. (Appears throughout series.)

contrast MRI

See magnetic resonance imaging.

Coombs' test

A clinical test of blood cells used to detect the presence of antibodies. The indirect Coombs' test can screen for very small quantities of antibodies. (Appears in 1x22 - Honeymoon.)

Cort-stim test

A blood test which can determine whether or not the pituitary and adrenal glands are functioning properly. (Appears in 1x03 - Occam's Razor.)

CT scan

See computed axial tomography scan.

D

D-dimer

A blood test used to rule out thrombosis as a diagnosis. (Appears in 1x21 - Three Stories.)

delta wave

A large, slow wave on an EEG or an EKG. (Appears in 1x22 - Honeymoon.)

differential diagnosis

A list of suggestions (or hypotheses) for what illness might be the cause of a set of a symptoms. (Appears throughout series.)

DLCO

See pulmonary function test.

E

echo

See echocardiogram.

echocardiogram

(Also echo.) An ultrasound used to image the heart. (Appears in 1x03 - Occam's Razor, 1x07 - Fidelity, 1x11 - Detox, 1x14 - Control and 1x20 - Love Hurts.)

EEG

See electroencephalography.

ejection fraction

A measurement of the amount of blood pumped out of a ventricle of the heart in each heart beat. (Appears in 1x14 - Control.)

EKG

See electrocardiogram.

electrocardiogram

(Also EKG.) A recording of the electrical impulses in the heart. One of its measurements - the ST - measures the amount of time the ventricles take to contract and return to normal. A high or low ST may indicate heart damage or strain. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity, 1x07 - Fidelity and 1x16 - Heavy.)

electroencephalography

(Also EEG.) A measurement of the brain's electrical activity recorded through electrodes on the scalp or cortex. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity and 1x19 - Kids.)

electromyography

(Also EMG.) A test in which muscle response to nerve stimulation is tested by means of measuring the electrical potential of muscle cells when they contract. (Appears in 1x20 - Love Hurts.)

electrooculogram

(Also EOG.) A recording of eye movements used to diagnose disorders in the retina. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity.)

ELISA test

See Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay.

EMG

See electromyography.

endoscopy

A minimally invasive procedure in which a small scope is inserted into the body through one of the major orifices. Although it has a wide variety of diagnostic uses, it may also be utilized for some curative approaches. The type known as a colonoscopy is used to examine the colon and large intestine via a fiber optic camera inserted through the anus. By contrast, an upper endoscopy is usually inserted through the mouth and is used to image the digestive tract. (Appears in 1x14 - Control, 1x18 - Babies & Bathwater and 1x19 - Kids.)

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

(Also ELISA test.) A test which uses two antibodies - one linked to an enzyme - to test for the presence of certain antibodies in a blood sample and, thus, the viruses associated with those antibodies. It is often used to test for the HIV and West Nile viruses. (Appears in 1x17 - Role Model.)

EOG

See electrooculogram.

erythrocyte sedimentation rate

(Also sedimentation rate, sed rate.) A simple blood test in which the rate at which red blood cells settle to the bottom of an upright test tube is measured. Because a certain protein causes blood cells to stick together more in inflammations, this test can be used to search for general inflammations in the body. (Appears in 1x07 - Fidelity.)

F

FDDNP

See positron emission tomography.

FEV-1

See pulmonary function test.

FEV/FVC ratio

See pulmonary function test.

Fite stain

A method of staining to identify bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium, a genus which includes many bacteria which cause infectious diseases, including Mycobacterium avium, which causes Crohn's disease, Mycobacterium leprae, which causes leprosy, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis. (Appears in 1x13 - Cursed.)

focal wall motion

The movement of the rear heart wall on an X-ray or other heart imaging technique. (Appears in 1x14 - Control.)

FVC

See pulmonary function test.

G

gallium scan

A test in which the patient is administered a dose of a radioactive isotope of the element gallium to search for inflammation, which can turn up several types of inflammation or possibly lymphoma. (Appears in 1x11 - Detox.)

Glasgow Coma Scale

A measurement of a patient's consciousness. The score is computed by the sum of three scores: Best eye response, best verbal response and best motor responses. The lower the score, the less conscious the patient is. A score of 8 or less is considered severe. (Appears in 1x15 - Mob Rules.)

Gram staining

A test used to determine the type of bacteria involved in an infection by the properties of its cell walls. (Appears in 1x10 - Histories and 1x13 - Cursed.)

H

heart catheterization

The insertion of a tube into the heart to examine the cardiac muscles. (Appears in 1x14 - Control.)

HEC

See hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp.

hematocrit

The percentage of the body's blood which is comprised of red blood cells. (Appears in 1x11 - Detox.)

HMB-synthase mutation

A genetic test for porphyria. (Appears in 1x22 - Honeymoon.)

hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp

(Also HEC.) A diagnostic test in which the body's level of insulin resistance is tested by infusing glucose and measuring how much is required to induce hypoglycemia. (Appears in 1x16 - Heavy.)

I

indirect Coombs' test

See Coombs' test.

INR

See international normalized ratio.

international normalized ratio

A laboratory test of blood coagulation. (Appears in 1x11 - Detox.)

L

lavage

Medical terminology for cleaning or rinsing. (Appears in 1x19 - Kids.)

LFT

See liver function test.

liver function test

(Also LFT.) A battery of blood tests used to determine how well the liver is functioning by measuring the presence of several chemicals in the bloodstream. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity, 1x15 - Mob Rules and 1x18 - Babies & Bathwater.)

LP

See lumbar puncture.

lumbar puncture

(Also LP, tap.) A painful test in which a sample of CSF is taken from the spinal cord in between the vertebrae. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity, 1x10 - Histories, 1x17 - Role Model, 1x19 - Kids and 1x22 - Honeymoon.)

M

magnetic resonance angiography

(Also MRA.) Magnetic resonance imaging of the blood vessels. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity, 1x09 - DNR, 1x18 - Babies & Bathwater and 1x22 - Honeymoon.)

magnetic resonance imaging

(Also MRI.) A method of viewing the insides of objects using magnetic fields (as opposed to radiation in traditional X-rays and CT scans). In a contrast MRI, the patient ingests a compound of the rare earth metal gadolinium, which allows different objects to stand out more clearly in the final image. (Appears throughout series.)

mammogram

An X-ray image of the breast (usually the female breast) which can scan for tumors and cysts. (Appears in 1x07 - Fidelity.)

McDonald criteria

A list of diagnostic criteria recommended in 2001 by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of America as the best criteria for diagnosing multiple sclerosis. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity.)

MRA

See magnetic resonance angiography.

MRI

See magnetic resonance imaging.

MUGA scan

See multiple gated acquisition scan.

multiple gated acquisition scan

A test which creates an image of a patient's beating heart, used to evaluate heart function. (Appears in 1x14 - Control.)

P

partial thromboplastin time

(Also PTT.) A performance indicator which can be useful in detecting abnormalities in blood clotting. (Appears in 1x06 - The Socratic Method.)

PCR

See polymerase chain reaction.

PET scan

See positron emission tomography.

Polymerase chain reaction

(Also PCR.) A technique by which a small amount of DNA is replicated into a larger amount for study. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity and 1x17 - Role Model.)

polysomnograph

A test which studies sleep by measuring various electrical activities in the body - including those in the brain, heart, eyes and respiratory system. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity.)

positron emission tomography

(Also PET scan.) A medical imaging technique in which the patient is given an injection of a radioactive isotope which emits positrons as it decays. The resulting images can form a three-dimensional image of processes in the body. During some PET scans, the chemical marker FDDNP may be used to highlight certain brain activities. (Appears in 1x07 - Fidelity, 1x12 - Sports Medicine, 1x21 - Three Stories and 1x22 - Honeymoon.)

prothombrin time

(Also PT.) A measure of the clotting tendency of the blood. (Appears in 1x06 - The Socratic Method.)

PT

See prothombrin time.

PTT

See partial thromboplastin time.

pulmonary function test

A test of the lungs which measures how much breath can be inhaled and exhaled. There are many values revealed in the test, including FVC (forced vital capacity) - the total amount of air a patient can blow out; FEV-1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) - the total amount of air a patient can blow out in one second; FEV/FVC ratio - the ratio of the previous two figures. The DLCO (diffusion capacity) estimates the size and shape of the lungs based on the results. (Appears in 1x14 - Control.)

Q

QRS complex

A recording of the electrical impulses in the lower heart ventricles in an EKG. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity and 1x21 - Three Stories.)

R

radioimmunoassay

A scientific test which binds a radioactive molecule to an antigen to test for the presence of certain antigens, including drugs, in a body. (Appears in 1x11 - Detox.)

radionucleotide cisternogram

A painful test which involves putting a large needle into a patient's spine to check to see if the cerebral and spinal fluids are flowing properly. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity.)

Rapid Plasma Reagin

(Also RPR.) A common test for syphilis. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity.)

RPR

See Rapid Plasma Reagin.

S

sedimentation rate

See erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

sed rate

See erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

silver stain

A test in which silver is used to stain slices of tissue for location and identification of proteins. (Appears in 1x17 - Role Model.)

ST

See echocardiogram.

T

tap

See lumbar puncture.

technetium sestamibi

A test of the functioning of the parathyroid gland in which the patient is injected with a combination of an isotope of the element technetium and the radioactive drug sestamibi to see how well it is absorbed by the thyroid and parathyroid glands. (Appears in 1x21 - Three Stories.)

titer

The unit of measurement of the presence of substances in an analytical sample. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity and 1x17 - Role Model.)

U

UFC

See 24-hour urinary free cortisol level test.

upper endoscopy

See endoscopy.

V

VEP

See visual evoked potential.

visual evoked potential

(Also VEP.): A test of the effect of visual stimuli on the EEG of the brain. It is useful in diagnosing blindness and neurological disorders. (Appears in 1x02 - Paternity.)

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