Glossary

Cytomeglovirus or human herpesvirus-5

Cranial nerve(s)

The central nervous system. The brain and spinal cord. These structures receives and integrates information from the body via the peripheral nervous system and coordinates the activity of the elements of the body.

First described by the orthopedist John R Cobb, the Cobb angle is the angle between a line drawn parallel to the end plate of the rostral most vertebral body in spinal curve and a line drawn parallel to the end plate of the caudal most vertebral body of a spinal curve. It was originally used to describe a curve seen on a coronal view of the spine on X-ray. More recently it has also been used to describe sagittal spinal curvature, especially those seen after trauma.

Unilateral or Bilateral retraction of the eyelids.due to a midbrain lesion

Ocular convergence spasm – A rare condition where the eyes intermittently turn inward or converge towards each other.

Refers to the ratio of the diameter of the spinal cord to the diameter of the thecal or CSF sac surrounding the cord at a designated level of the spine.  Typically this is used when evaluating a level for risk of tethering due to constriction by the dura of the CSF space surrounding the spinal cord. The cord-sac ratio is obtained by dividing the sagittal diameter of the spinal cord by the sagittal diameter of the expanded thecal sac.

Cerebral Palsy – a general term used to describe permanent, non-progressive neurological condition that result in movement disorders. These conditions are frequently associated with abnormal sensation, seizures and cognitive disorders. These conditions are due to injuries to the portion of the nervous system involved with motor control that occur during pregnancy, the perinatal period or early childhood up to the age of three.

Cerebellar-pontine angle – A space in the posterior fossa just lateral to the pons and its juncture to the cerebellum. Cranial nerves V, VII, VIII pass through this space and lesions within the angle will give rise to their dysfunction nad the so-called CP angle syndrome.

Cytochrome P450 – a large and diverse group of enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of organic substances. These are the major enzymes involved in the reduction of oxygen. It functions in drug metabolism, bioactivation and other metabolic activities in most species being present in at least 75% of the metabolic reactions occurring within living organisms.