Glossary

Dural Arteriovenous Malformations. Abnormal connections between an artery and a vein the the dural or tough, leather-like covering of the brain and spinal cord.

Degenerative disc disease or Degenerative disc disorder. Refers to the degeneration of one or more intervertebral discs of the spine.

Crescent shape or semicircular line or ravine.

Diabetes insipidus – a condition characterized by excessive urination. The urine is severely dilute and the patient characteristically has excessive thirst. Fluid restriction has no effect on the degree of dilutation in the urine. The most common reason is central DI due to a lack of diuretic hormone (ADH or arginine vasopressin) but DI can also occur due to an insensitivity to ADH in the kidneys (nephrogenic diabetes insipidus or as a result of a drug being administered.

Rapid, alternating muscle movement.  The ability to rapidly alternate between agonistic and antagonistic muscle movements.

Trade name for the drug acetazolamide.

desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma

Deoxyribonucleic acid – This is the molecule containing the genetic code used to reproduce and then control function in all known living organisms and many viruses.

Dysembryoplastic Neuroepithelial Tumors – A very low grade, indolent glial-neuronal tumor arising in the brain and associated with seizure disorders.

Sickle Cells. Refers to sickle shaped red blood cells seen in individuals with Sickle Cell Anemia.  Such red blood cells assume this shape with traveling through capillaries with low oxygen tension which causes the cell to become rigid and to sickle.