List of terms that you may come across

A

Aetiology
cause
Anterior spinal fusion
a way to correct scoliosis via an anterior approach
Aspiration pneumonia
pneumonia caused by irritation or bacteria from stomach content entering lungs due to faulty swallowing
Atelectasis
condition in which the lungs are not fully inflated

B

Baseline
the starting point to compare other tests
BiPAP
bi – two way; PAP – positive air pressure. Used to maintain lung expansion
Body Mass Index
relationship between weight and height according to formula weight, in kg, divided by the square of length, in metres

C

Cardiomyopathy
deterioration of heart muscle function – also known as “heart muscle disease”
Cobb angle
measurement of scoliosis angle from spinal X-ray
Contractures
tightness round a joint leading to its becoming fixed in a particular position or having less than full range of motion at that joint
Cushingoid features
term used to describe the round or “moonlike” face that people on steroids may develop. (This may be prominent even if weight gain overall is not an issue and can be hard to control without a change in steroid or in the dosing schedule)

D

Depolarising muscle relaxants
drugs that decrease the muscle tone by acting on muscle receptors involved in depolarisation
DEXA
see abbreviations
Dysphagia
swallowing problems
Dystrophinopathy
the term used to cover all the different conditions caused by faults in the dystrophin gene (Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy, manifesting carriers of one of these conditions and rare patients who have only heart disease)

E

Eccentric Exercises
exercises such as going downstairs or trampolining that involve lengthening rather than contraction of the muscle
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
methods used to assess the electrical activity of the cardiac muscle. The ECG involves stickers placed on the chest to record heart signals.
Echocardiogram (“echo”)
method used to assess the structure of the heart. The Echo is also known as a “cardiac ultrasound” and gives pictures of the beating heart
Electromyography
a test that measures electrical signals from a muscle and can give a clue to whether a nerve or muscle disorder is present

F

Forced Vital Capacity
the maximum volume of air that can be exhaled after maximum inhalation

G

Gastritis/gastroesophageal reflux
occurs when the muscle joining the oesophagus (swallowing tube from the mouth) to the stomach opens on its own, or does not close properly and stomach contents rise up into the oesophagus. Also called acid reflux or acid regurgitation, because digestive juices, called acids, rise up with the food
Gastrostomy
surgical opening into the stomach, in this case to insert a feeding tube. Sometimes referred to as a PEG
Germline mosaicism
condition in which the cells in the gonads that will develop into germ cells (ova and spermatozoa) are a mixture of two genetically different cell types
Glucose intolerance
defines a pre-diabetic state associated with insulin resistance
Gowers’ manoeuvre/sign
a sign of weakness in the muscles round the hips and upper part of the lower legs. It describes the way that someone with weakness in these muscles gets up of the floor, needing to turn onto their front, keep their legs wide apart and using a hand on their thigh to rise. It is commonly seen in DMD but other conditions causing weakness in the same muscle groups also cause a Gowers’ manoeuvre

H

Holter
method used for continuous ambulatory 24 hr ECG recording
Hypercapnia
too much carbon dioxide in the blood
Hypertension
high blood pressure
Hypoventilation
reduced breathing efficiency of ventilatory capacity
Hypoxemia
decreased oxygen levels in the blood

I

Immunoblotting
a way to measure the amount of dystrophin in the muscle
Immunocytochemistry
a way to look at the muscle under the microscope and see how much dystrophin is present

K

Knee adductors
the muscles that keep the knees together
Kyphoscoliosis
abnormal curvature of the spine with both sideward (scoliosis) and hunched forward or backward (kyphosis)

M

Malignant Hyperthermia-like reaction
a response to anaesthesia that causes a high temperature and can be life-threatening
Motor Function Scales
tests which are used to assess activities of motor performance in a standardised way
Myoglobinuria
presence of myoglobin in the urine as a sign of breakdown of muscle (urine looks coca-cola coloured because it contains breakdown products of muscle proteins)

O

Osteopenia/osteoporosis
decrease in bone mineral density
Oximetry
the measurement of oxygen in the blood stream using a machine to detect it through the skin

P

Palpitations
awareness of abnormal heartbeats
Pelvic obliquity
describes a condition in which the pelvis is uneven, such as being rotated downward on one side
Prophylaxis
prevention

R

Rhabdomyolysis
breakdown of muscle

S

Scoliosis
curvature of the spine

T

Tanner stage
defines pubertal development based on external primary and secondary sex characteristics, such as the size of the breasts, genitalia and the development of pubic hair
Tenotomy
surgical cutting of a tendon
Thrombolitic events
formation of a clot (thrombus) in a blood vessel that breaks loose and is carried by the blood stream to plug another vessel
Tinea
a fungal skin infection
Tracheostomy
surgical procedure on the neck to open a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (the windpipe)

V

Varus
inward rotation of the foot due to an imbalance of the foot muscles
Volume recruitment
increasing the amount of air taken in by the lungs using a device to help inflate the lungs. Such devices include Ambu bags and inexsufflators. Ventilators can also be used to increase volume
Videofluoroscopic study
assessment tool to view and determine the nature and extent of an oropharyngeal swallowing problem. A video X-ray is taken as the child swallows the food

Information based on consensus statement (published in January 2010)