West Nile Virus Disease : Tests

Signs of West Nile virus infection are similar to those of other viral infections. There is nothing that can be found on physical examination to diagnose West Nile virus infection. A rash is present in 20-50% of patients. True muscle weakness in t...

Diagnosis requires clinical observation by an experienced physician as well as positive results from specific laboratory tests. Factors that assist in the diagnosis are recent travel experiences, the season that the symptoms developed, the age of ...

A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following: The number of red blood cells (RBCs) The number of white blood cells (WBCs) The total amount of hemoglobin in the blood The fraction of the blood composed of red blood cells ( hematocrit ) The mean corpuscular volume (MCV) -- the size of the red blood cells CBC also includes information about the red blood cells that is calculated from the other measurements: MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin) MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration) The platelet count is also usually included in the CBC.

One of the most commonly ordered clinical laboratory tests, a blood count, also called a complete blood count (CBC), is a basic evaluation of the cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) suspended in the liquid part of the blood (plasma). It involves determining the numbers, concentrations, and conditions of the different types of blood cells.

A complete blood count (CBC) is a series of tests used to evaluate the composition and concentration of the cellular components of blood. It consists of the following tests: red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, and platelet count; measurement of hemoglobin and mean red cell volume; classification of white blood cells (WBC differential); and calculation of hematocrit and red blood cell indices .

The clinical laboratory test that evaluates the three main cellular components of peripheral blood (red cells, white cells, and platelets) is called the " complete blood count " (CBC). It is used commonly to assess whether a patient is anemic (low red cell count), has an infection (increased white blood cells), or has abnormal blood coagulation (platelet levels).

A complete blood count (CBC) is a series of tests used to evaluate the composition and concentration of the cellular components of blood. It consists of the following tests: red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, and platelet count; measurement of hemoglobin and mean red cell volume; classification of white blood cells (WBC differential); and calculation of hematocrit and red blood cell indices .

A cranial CT scan is computed tomography of the head, including the skull, brain, orbits (eye sockets), and sinuses.

Head injury is an injury to the scalp, skull, or brain. The most important consequence of head trauma is traumatic brain injury.

Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross-sectional views of body organs and tissues.

Injury to the head may damage the scalp, skull , or brain . The most important consequence of head injury is traumatic brain injury.

Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross- sectional views of body organs and tissues.

CT imaging equipment includes conventional, spiral, multi-slice, and electron-beam computed tomography full-body scanners, which use x rays to acquire cross-sectional images and computer workstations to reconstruct acquired image data for display on a viewing monitor or printed on film. Also referred to as computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning equipment.

Computed tomography (also known as CT, CT scan, CAT, or computerized axial tomography) scans use x rays to produce precise cross-sectional images of anatomical structures. With the development of modern computers, the scans enhanced digital capabilities allowed the development of computed tomography imaging (derived from the Greek tomos , meaning " to slice " ).

Injury to the head may damage the scalp, skull or brain. The most important consequence of head trauma is traumatic brain injury.

Lumbar puncture (LP) is the technique of using a needle to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the spinal canal. CSF is the clear, watery liquid that protects the central nervous system from injury and cushions it from the surrounding bone structure.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is a laboratory test to examine a sample of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. This fluid is a clear, watery liquid that protects the central nervous system from injury and cushions it from the surrounding bone structure.

During a physical examination, a health care provider studies a patient's body to determine the presence or absence of physical problems. A typical physical examination includes: Inspection (looking at the body) Palpation (feeling the body with hands) Auscultation (listening to sounds) Percussion (producing sounds)

An MRI of the head is a non-invasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct clear, detailed pictures of brain tissues. Unlike conventional radiography and computed tomography (CT), which make use of potentially harmful x-rays passing through a patient to generate images, MRI imaging is based on the magnetic properties of atoms. A powerful magnet generates a magnetic field roughly 10,000 times stronger than the Earth's. A very small percentage of hydrogen atoms within the body will align with this field. The "nuclear" in the original name (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging) -- now seldom used -- refers to the proton in the nucleus of the hydrogen atom and does not imply radioactivity. When focused short radio wave pulses are broadcast towards the aligned hydrogen atoms in tissues of interest, they will return a signal of their own. The subtle differences in that signal from dissimilar tissues enables the MRI to differentiate between various organs, and potentially, provide contrast between benign and malignant (cancerous) tissue. Any imaging plane, or slice, can be projected, and then stored in a computer or printed on film. MRI is easily performed through clothing and bones. However, certain types of metal in or around the area of interest can cause significant errors in the reconstructed images. These errors are called artifacts.

Like all other parts of the body, the brain and central nervous system are made up of cells that ordinarily grow and divide to create new cells as needed. This is usually an orderly process; but when cells lose their ability to grow normally or to die off naturally, they divide too often and produce tumors that are made up of these extra cells.

Part of the central nervous system located in the skull. Controls mental and physical actions of the organism.

Congenital brain defects are a group of disorders of brain development that are present at birth. Brain development begins shortly after conception and continues throughout the growth of a fetus.

Brain abscess is a bacterial infection within the brain. The brain is usually well insulated from infection by bacteria, protected by the skull, the meninges (tissue layers surrounding the brain), the immune system, and the highly regulated barrier between the bloodstream and the brain.

A brain biopsy is the removal of a small piece of brain tissue for the diagnosis of abnormalities of the brain, such as Alzheimer ' s disease , tumors, infection, or inflammation. Purpose By examining the tissue sample under a microscope, the biopsy sample provides doctors with the information necessary to guide diagnosis and treatment.

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Unlike other tumors, brain tumors spread by local extension and rarely metastasize (spread) outside the brain.

Congenital brain defects are a group of disorders of brain development. Brain development begins shortly after conception and continues throughout the growth of a fetus.

The brain is the part of the central nervous system located in the skull. It controls the mental processes and physical actions of a human being.

The brain is a large mass of soft nervous tissue made up of both neurons and supporting glial cells lying within the cranium of the skull. The brain contains both gray and white matter.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners rely on the principles of atomic nuclear-spin resonance. Using strong magnetic fields and radio waves, MRI collects and correlates deflections caused by atoms into images.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of physical trauma to the head causing damage to the brain. This damage can be focal, or restricted to a single area of the brain, or diffuse, affecting more than one region of the brain.

The brain is the part of the central nervous system (CNS) inside the skull (the part outside the skull is the spinal cord ). It gives rise to cognitive thought processes and controls various body functions including muscular activity, speech, sight, hearing , breathing, and digestion.

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue, either malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous), in the brain. Each year, more than 17,000 brain tumors are diagnosed in the United States.