Denny has a neurologic disorder and has just been diagnosed. His mother comes to you and asks what tests were ordered to aid in the diagnosis. You are the nurse on duty and try to assist her in understanding what is going on with her son

a. What type of diagnostic testing is done to detect neurologic disorders in a client?
b. Discuss what they are and what they can show.


Students' answers should include the following:
a. Imaging procedures such as CT, MRI, SPECT, or PET
Lumbar puncture
Contrast studies such as cerebral angiography or myelogram
Electroencephalogram
Brain scan
Electromyography
Nerve conduction studies
Echoencephalography
b. Lumbar puncture will show changes in the CSF, such as bacterial or viral pathogens by the color, odor, and thickness of the fluid.
Imaging procedures with contrast studies show distortion of vascular vessels by using radiopaque dye injected into the spinal canal, with radiographs then taken and studied.
Electroencephalogram (EEG) records the brain waves and can show such things as seizure activity.
Brain scans identify bleeds, tumors, abnormalities such as abscesses, infarctions, etc.
Nerve conduction studies aid in diagnosing nerve injuries.
Electroencephalogram is an ultrasound of the brain.
CT, MRI, PET, etc., use x-rays to produce three-dimensional–type images to diagnose and detect abnormalities and changes.

Nursing

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