Glossary of clinical terms

A Glossary of Clinical Terms

Acceleration / Deceleration and Contra-coup injuries

Injuries caused by a sudden change in direction or speed of travel (of the head) that jolts the brain against the inside of the skull, causing damage to the brain at its point of impact with the skull. In addition, the inevitable movement of the opposite side of the brain away from the inside of the skull may distort brain tissue there, causing an additional ‘contra-coup’ injury.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

In ACT a negative thought is accepted as a thought but reflected upon using one or a combination of three broad approaches: mindfulness, acceptance and review of values.

Acquired brain injury (ABI)

Injury to the brain not due to congenital or developmental disorders. Causes include a lack of oxygen to the brain at or since birth, a traumatic brain injury (TBI), intracranial infection, tumour or stroke.

Activities of daily living (ADL)

Routine personal health and hygiene activities that people do on a daily basis without needing assistance. The six basic ADLs are: eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (walking) and continence.

Acute

The period of time immediately after a sudden injury has occurred, when the person may be at their most vulnerable and needing urgent treatment.

Adjustment disorder

A pattern of psychological and emotional response to a traumatic event that unintentionally impedes rather than assists recovery, rehabilitation and re-integration into society.

Aetiology

The science of establishing the causes and origins of disease.

Amnesia

Impaired formation and/or retrieval of memories. The duration of Post-Traumatic Amnesia (PTA) is the lapse of time after the injury before new memories can be formed. The duration of Retrograde Amnesia is the length of time immediately prior to the injury for which memory of events that occurred (and information that had been acquired) has been lost.

Analgesia

Relief of or masking of pain.

Anosmia

Loss of the sense of smell.

Aneurism / Aneurysm

Swelling or dilation of an artery due to a weakened wall.

Anoxia

Severe hypoxia (lack of oxygen supply to brain tissue).

Anticonvulsant drugs

Medication used to control or prevent epileptic fits (seizures), whether major or minor in severity.

Antiemetic drugs

Medication used to reduce or prevent nausea or vomiting.

Apathy

Lack of interest, emotion, enthusiasm or excitement. Could result from brain injury to frontal lobe structures which concern emotion, and which affect motivation and forward planning – but apathy is also commonly experienced in depression and boredom.

Aphasia / Dysphasia

Inability to express oneself in words or to understand what is said or written. (Strictly speaking, aphasia means a complete loss of language function while dysphasia is a partial loss of language but in practice the two terms tend to be used interchangeably.)

Apraxia / Dyspraxia

Inability to plan and perform purposeful or skilled movements, while still having the basic ability to move and be aware of movement. Apraxia is the complete loss of this ability, dyspraxia implies partial loss.

Arterial line (Catheter)

A very thin tube inserted into an artery to allow direct, real-time measurement of blood pressure and to obtain samples for blood gas analysis.

Assessments

Tests and procedures carried out to establish what is going on with an individual and determine how best to deal with the situation.

Assistive technology

Any product or service that maintains or improves the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities or impairments, allowing them to perform additional tasks.

Ataxia

A type of clumsiness of movement in which the limb may overshoot or undershoot its target due impaired function of the brain or spinal cord.

Athetosis

A characteristic pattern of writhing movements, seen in a number of brain disorders.

Anomia

Inability to name objects or items.

Bilateral

Occurring on both sides of the body or both left and right limbs.

Brain haemorrhage

Bleeding in or around the brain caused by a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or as a result of a leaking artery or vein in the brain bursting and causing localised bleeding in the surrounding tissues.

Brain injury

Damage to the brain.

Brain plasticity

The ability of intact brain nerve cells (neurones) to make new connections and, in some cases, to take over the functions of damaged cells. Neuronal plasticity enables new skills to be acquired by practising. The ability to acquire new skills tends to become gradually more slow and more restricted once a person has reached the age of 30 years but on the other hand, increasing experience can result in better decision-making.

Brain tumour

There are several types of brain tumour, some cancerous and some benign. Knowing the type and location helps to determine the best treatment.

Burr hole

A hole made in the skull during surgery to inspect and gain access to the surface of the brain.

Cannula

A small tube placed through the skin and into a vein, usually in an arm or hand, in order for example to deliver medication, or to infuse fluids or blood directly into the circulation.

Cardiac arrest

The heart stops beating and therefore there is no effective circulation of blood round the body so that the brain and other organs rapidly become starved of oxygen and waste products build up in the tissues.

Capacity

Having mental capacity implies that individuals can legally make a particular decision for themselves. This involves an individual being able to understand information and its implications, to remember this for long enough to make an informed decision, and then to be able to tell someone else what their decision is. If a person is assessed to lack capacity (i.e. unable to make a particular decision or decisions for themselves), the law allows someone else to decide what should happen, depending on the specific circumstances.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning

Symptoms depend on the extent and nature of exposure. Acute CO poisoning may lead to unconsciousness and then to severe brain damage that can affect memory, language, cognition, mood or behaviour, or result in death.

Care package

A combination of services put together to meet an individual’s agreed needs in respect of health and social care, services or equipment to enable them to live their life in the best way possible.

Care plan

Describes the care package needed to meet an individual’s needs for care and support, which may be drawn up by a member of staff for people in a hospital or nursing home, or by a case manager or social worker for someone living in other community settings including their own home.

Catheter (Arterial line)

A very thin tube inserted into an artery to allow direct, real-time measurement of blood pressure and to obtain samples for blood gas analysis.

Cerebral

Of or concerning the brain.

Cerebral angiogram

An x-ray depiction of the blood vessels inside the head, requiring a dye that shows up on x-ray to be injected via a catheter inserted into an artery (often one in the groin) and then manipulated so as to allow the dye to enter the brain circulation.

Chorea

Brief, involuntary jerky movements involving the limbs and face, seen in a number of brain disorders and very occasionally following brain injury.

Chronic

An illness, pain or condition that persists for a long time.

Chronic pain

Longstanding and persistent pain, usually due to established (though not necessarily active) pathology in the body. The term ‘Chronic pain syndrome’ refers to chronic pain that is persisting even though the original cause that triggered it has resolved; this may be due to a maladaptive response by mechanisms within the brain that in some cases can respond to a retraining (rehabilitation) process.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

A progressive, degenerative complication seen in some individuals with a history of repeated episodes of physical trauma to the brain (e.g. in professional boxers).

Closed head injury

Damage to the brain where there is no penetration through the skull to brain tissue.

Cognition

General term used to cover all areas of intellectual functioning including skills such as thinking, remembering, planning, understanding, reasoning, concentrating and using language.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

A type of talking treatment that focuses on how a person’s thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect their feelings and habits of behaviour, and teaches them coping skills for dealing more effectively with day to day situations.

Cognitive Communication Disorders (CCD)

A term used to describe difficulties with communication or social skills which may result from impaired cognition.

Concussion

A temporary disturbance of brain function after a blow to the head expected to resolve completely within a few days or occasionally weeks. It may or may not involve a loss of consciousness at the time of the blow. Often described as a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).

Confabulation

A disorder of brain function characterised by verbalisations about people, places or events that appear to have little or no basis in reality (and are not due to intentional deception).

Coma

A state of deep unconsciousness.

Contusion

Bruising of brain tissue.

Contractures

Physical shortening of a muscle that results from its being held in an unstretched position for prolonged periods. This then restricts the range of the movement at the joint with which the muscle is involved.

Convulsion

A prolonged period (usually a few minutes) of involuntary muscular contractions causing strong contraction or twitching movements of muscles, usually accompanied by loss of consciousness.

Cortical blindness

Loss of visual function resulting from damage to the main visual perception areas located in the occipital lobes at the back of the brain.

Craniotomy

Surgical removal of a piece of the skull to allow a neurosurgeon access to the brain.

Community Care Assessment

Local authorities have a legal duty to carry out a care needs assessment for anyone who requires assistance with everyday tasks. Once complete, the authority will decide what care services it can provide or arrange by reference to a set of locally agreed criteria.

CT / CAT Scan – Computerised Axial Tomography

Uses a sophisticated series of x-rays to create detailed images of different tissues inside the body, based upon their differing physical abilities to allow x-rays to pass through them.

Cyanosis

A bluish tinge to the skin, caused by a deficiency of oxygen in the blood, often most apparent around the lips and mouth and in the fingertips.

Demyelination

Loss of fatty insulating sheath (myelin) surrounding certain nerve fibres, which impairs their ability to conduct trains of nerve impulses.

Diffuse brain injury

Injury to cells throughout many areas of the brain rather than in one specific location (focal brain injury).

Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI)

Widespread tearing of the nerve fibres across the whole of the brain.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

Imaging method that uses the directional movement of water molecules to generate contrast in MR images. DTI may be able to detect abnormalities in the brain that do not show up in standard MRI or CT scans.

Diplopia

Double vision.

Discharge

Leaving one care setting such as a hospital to move to another or to go home.

Discharge planning meeting

A staff meeting held to ensure that there is a care plan in place for a patient when they leave hospital.
See Care plan

Disinhibition

Difficulty in controlling urges and impulses such that a person speaks, acts or shows emotions in socially inappropriate ways. This could be due to impaired brain function, for example due to drugs (such as alcohol) or to brain injury (particularly injury to the frontal lobes of the brain).

Dizziness

An imprecise term used to describe a range of sensations such as feeling faint, giddy, light-headed, or unsteady.

Drip (Infusion)

A system of passing sterile fluid from a plastic bag or bottle directly into a vein via a small tube and cannula, usually given to deliver fluid and medication that cannot be taken orally.

Dysarthria

Difficulty speaking because of weakness and lack of co-ordination of the muscles used for speech.

Dysphagia

Difficulty with swallowing.

Dysphasia / Aphasia

Inability to express oneself in speech or to understand what is said or written. Dysphasia refers to the partial loss of language and aphasia implies the complete loss of language function but in practice the two terms tend to be used interchangeably.

Dyspraxia / Apraxia

Inability to plan and perform purposeful movements, while still having the basic ability to move and be aware of movements. Dyspraxia is the partial loss of this ability, apraxia the complete loss.

Echolalia

Involuntary repetition of sounds or words that have just been heard.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Recording of electrical activity arising from the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp.

Emotional liability

A change in behaviour characterised by apparently inappropriate and frequent fluctuations in a person’s emotional state.

Encephalitis

Inflammation of the brain, most commonly caused by a viral infection.

Epilepsy

A continuing tendency to experience epileptic attacks.

Executive functions

Functions that underlie the ability to systematically formulate and implement plans and to make and implement decisions. Typically listed as: planning, organising, problem solving, sequencing, self-monitoring and controlling behaviour.

Extra-ventricular drainage (EVD)

Treatment used to relieve pressure within the brain by draining off fluid via a tube passed through the skull into one of the ventricles (fluid spaces) within the brain.

Fit / Seizure

An epileptic attack caused by simultaneous firing of a large number of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex. This could occur in the brains of most healthy people, but does so only if a particular ‘threshold’ of activity is reached. This threshold varies from person to person. It may be lowered (making an attack more likely) by for example a high temperature (especially in young children), severe lack of sleep, in response to toxic substances such as alcohol in the bloodstream, or by the presence of a structural or other abnormality within the brain.

Focal brain injury

Injury restricted to a specific part of the brain (as opposed to diffuse brain injury).

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

A condition resulting from exposure to alcohol during the mother’s pregnancy which has caused brain damage and growth problems in a child.

Gastrostomy

Creation of an opening directly through the skin into the stomach for the administration of food and fluids when swallowing is impossible.

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

An assessment given to head injured patients after injury to provide a reliable record of changes in their level of consciousness. For example, a score of 4 - 7 indicates that the person is in a coma. A maximum score of 15 indicates that the person can speak coherently, obey commands to move, and can spontaneously open their eyes.

Haematoma

A clot of blood within the tissues of the body.

Haemorrhage

Bleeding from blood vessels caused by a traumatic injury or by rupture of an abnormal blood vessel, caused by injury or by a severe rise in the pressure of the blood in the vessel.

Head Injury – Mild / Minor, Moderate and Severe

Although the meanings of these terms are widely agreed, their long term implications are uncertain because someone with an initially ‘severe’ injury may make a good recovery while an apparently ‘minor’ injury can result in a poor outcome. With regard to the severity of the eventual outcome, predictions in the early stages of recovery are therefore significantly less reliable than predictions that are made later on.

Head Injury – Mild / Minor

Injury causing a brief loss of consciousness for 15 minutes or less, would initially be categorised as mild.

Head Injury – Moderate

Defined as being in a coma of not more than for 6 hours, and a period of post-traumatic amnesia of up to 24 hours.

Head Injury – Severe

Defined as being a condition where the patient has been in a coma for 6 hours or more, or has a period of post-traumatic amnesia lasting 24 hours or more.

Hemiparesis

Weakness in the muscles of the face, arm and leg on one side of the body, resulting in difficulty moving this side of the body.

Hemiplegia

Paralysis in the muscles of the face, arm and leg on one side of the body, resulting in the inability to move this side of the body.

Homeostasis

The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes. For example, sweating when hot in order to keep the core body temperature at 98.6 degrees maintains homeostasis.

Huntington’s Disease

An incurable, inherited disease that causes the progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the brain, leading to dementia and a tendency to involuntary movements called chorea.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

A specialised treatment sometimes used in severe anoxic states – particularly after carbon monoxide poisoning – which involves placing the patient in a pressurised chamber and breathing oxygen under increased pressure.

Hydrocephalus

An abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain which causes increased intracranial pressure inside the skull.

Hypopituitarism

Condition in which the pituitary gland at the base of the brain does not produce adequate levels of one or more hormones.

Hypoxia

Hypoxia means insufficient oxygen in body tissues. Oxygen is needed for cells to survive. The supply of oxygen to the brain may become inadequate if the blood passing through the lungs does not receive enough oxygen, or if there is not enough blood circulating through the brain to provide the oxygen it needs.

Hypoxic-Ischaemic injury

Damage caused by an interruption of oxygen supply (hypoxia) linked with a reduction in the blood flow to the brain (ischaemia), such as occurs when the heart and breathing both stop during cardiac arrest.

Impairment

If something is impaired, its function is diminished or weakened.

Impulsivity

Tendency to rush into something without reflecting or thinking first.

Infarction

Death of tissue resulting from an interruption of their blood supply, such as occurs in the brain in a stroke.

Infection

A disorder of the body caused by invasion and multiplication within the body of microorganisms such as bacteria, parasites and viruses which are not normally present. Some infections may cause little disturbance but more severe ones cause illness.

Intervention

An outside influence that alters a person’s health, ability or behaviour.

Intracranial haemorrhage

Bleeding within or around the brain. A blood clot may form which compresses and damages brain tissue. In addition, the blood vessel from which it has leaked may fail to deliver a sufficient amount to the area of the brain it normally serves, causing further damage.

Intracranial pressure (ICP)

When the brain bleeds or swells it may increase the pressure within the brain generally because the skull provides no space for expansion. Raised intracranial pressure also makes it harder for blood to circulate throughout the brain, causing more widespread damage.

Intravenously

Method of administering medication or fluid through a cannula inserted into a vein.

Ischaemia

Inadequate blood supply to (e.g. brain tissue), due to a restriction of its arterial blood supply.

Level of consciousness

Level of awareness including awareness of a person’s surroundings.

Locked In Syndrome

A condition in which a person is fully conscious and awake and retains the ability to hear and to see, but is incapable of any movement except for eye movements. It is caused by a lesion in the brain stem that has interrupted all movement and sensation in the face, limbs and trunk, severely curtailing the person’s ability to communicate.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of soft tissues of the body. MRI scans show better detail of brain and spinal cord tissues, but less reliable data about bone (e.g. the skull and the vertebrae), than CAT scans. Scans can help diagnose conditions, plan treatments and assess the effectiveness of previous treatments.

Mannitol

A concentrated solution of a sugar which can be used in an intravenous transfusion to extract excess water from the brain by osmosis into the blood stream, thus reducing the pressure in brain tissue.

Mayo Classification System

Developed to supplement the reliability of other TBI severity indicators, this system uses multiple indicators to place individuals with a brain injury into one of three main classifications: definite, probable and possible.

Metabolic disorders

The term metabolism applies to the wide range of chemical reactions involved in all the physiological processes of the body, many of which depend upon a class of substances called enzymes upon which metabolism depends.

Migraine

A complex condition with a variety of symptoms, the main feature of which is a severe throbbing headache. This may be preceded and accompanied by other symptoms such as disturbed vision, sensitivity to light, distortion of sounds, weakness and tingling of parts of the body or nausea.

Minimally conscious state

A state of profoundly altered consciousness sometimes seen following a severe brain injury, in which there is some evidence of minimal awareness but without evidence of understanding. In this state, stimuli applied to the body tend to provoke reflex movements rather than volitional (consciously intended) movements.

Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT)

A group of professionals from one or more clinical disciplines who, together, make decisions regarding the recommended treatment of individual patients. The make up of the team will depend on the circumstances of the patient; as well as clinical staff it might include a social worker, for example, if decisions about future care or discharge are being discussed.

Myoclonus

Involuntary sudden, shock-like muscle twitches or jerks, seen in various uncommon brain disorders.

Nasogastric tube

Used if swallowing is impaired to the point at which there is a risk that fluid or food in the mouth could be inhaled into the lungs. A flexible thin tube is threaded through the nose and throat into the stomach, allowing the person to be fed in a way that by-passes the mouth.

Neuro-degenerative disease

Term used to describe a range of conditions in which there are slow and progressive changes inside the brain which, over time, impair its functioning.

Neurogenic Diabetes Insipidus

A condition in which the pituitary gland fails to produce vasopressin, a hormone that limits the amount of urine released by the kidneys. Excessive amounts of urine are passed which causes dehydration of the body tissues and marked thirst. (This is totally different and separate from the more common condition of diabetes mellitus, in which blood sugar levels are abnormal.)

Neuro Obs (Neurological observations)

Observations carried out by healthcare professionals to check the level and stability of brain functions.

Neuro Rehabilitation / Rehabilitation

Intensive therapy that can assist someone with a brain injury to relearn basic skills such as eating, talking and walking, together with regular exercises to increase their strength, flexibility and endurance and regain as much independence as possible. In addition, steps are taken to provide encouragement, stimulation and empathy in order to maintain interest and morale. Unlike the effects of medication, rehabilitation outcome depends upon regular and concerted effort by the person who is doing the learning and exercising, without which little progress will be made. It is therefore important to ensure that people are given both encouragement and accurate information about what they can expect to achieve.

Neurosurgery

Surgery on the brain.

Oedema

Increased water content in the brain, causing brain swelling.

Open head injury

An injury where there is penetration of the scalp and skull through to brain tissue.

Parkinson’s Disease

A slowly progressive brain disease involving the basal ganglia which causes slowing and reduction of movement, rigidity of the muscles of the limbs and face and tremor.

Pathology

A branch of medical science primarily concerned with the study of the processes of diseases and injuries to the body.

Perseveration

The inappropriate persistence (repetition) of a response in a current task or activity which was appropriate during a recently performed task. Perseveration may be seen in speech and in movements.

Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)

After a very severe brain injury, coma may persist indefinitely and after a prolonged interval (for example 6 to 12 months) the prospects for future improvement may be so remote that the term persistent vegetative state may be used. Basic functions such as breathing and maintaining the heartbeat and blood pressure all continue, but without evidence of consciousness or awareness and thus only reflex (automatic) responses to the environment.

Physiotherapy

Helps to restore movement and function through treatment by physical methods such as massage, heat, movement and exercise.

Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS)

A group of symptoms following a mild head injury that may persist for days, weeks or months. Sometimes PCS is used to refer to persisting symptoms of concussion which are not recovering as usual, possibly due either to physical or to psychological factors, or to a combination of both of these.

Post-Traumatic Amnesia (PTA)

The period after being unconscious when there may be confused behaviour and no continuous memory of day to day events.

Post-Traumatic Vertigo

Episodes of dizziness or feelings that a person’s surroundings are spinning round dating to trauma, usually trauma to the head affecting the balance organs within one or both ears.

Proprioception

The sensory awareness of the position of body parts with or without movement.

Prosopagnosia

A rare disorder of visual perception, an inability to recognise familiar faces by sight. Caused by small symmetrical lesions in the occipital cortex of both cerebral hemispheres.

Psychological

Pertaining to the mind; relates to the mental and emotional state of an individual.

Rigidity

Stiffness, resistance to movement.

Respiratory arrest

Breathing stops and there is no effective supply of oxygen to the blood coming from the lungs. If breathing is not restored, cardiac arrest will quickly follow, as the heart muscle becomes starved of oxygen.

Retrograde Amnesia

Loss of memory of events for a period prior to the injury.

SMART (Sensory Modality and Rehabilitation Technique)

SMART is a tool specially designed for the assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness.

Seizure / Fit

An epileptic attack caused by simultaneous firing of a large number of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex. This could occur in the brains of most healthy people, but does so only if a particular ‘threshold’ of activity is reached. This threshold varies from person to person. It may be lowered (making an attack more likely) by for example a high temperature (especially in young children), severe lack of sleep, in response to toxic substances such as alcohol in the bloodstream, or by the presence of a structural or other abnormality within the brain.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

A collection of impairments in brain function likely to have been caused by the forceful shaking of an infant or toddler which has damaged the brain.

Shunt

A device to draw off excess fluid within the ventricles of the brain, thus restoring intracranial pressure to normal. A surgically placed tube is placed under the skin, connecting a lateral brain ventricle to the abdominal cavity or sometimes to a neck vein, allowing excess fluid to be absorbed.

Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SSEPs)

Electrical responses of the brain recorded from the scalp following stimulation of nerves in the limbs.

Spasticity

Involuntary increase in muscle tone following injury to the brain or spinal cord which may produce tightness or stiffness of muscles when they are passively stretched, and which is associated with characteristic patterns of impairment of voluntary movements.

Stroke

A stroke is a sudden event that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.
Most common is the ischaemic stroke which is caused by a blood vessel carrying blood to the brain being blocked.
Much less common is the haemorrhagic stroke. This occurs when a weakened blood vessel in the brain leaks, or when a brain aneurism bursts and blood spills into the brain, creating pressure and swelling which can damage cells and tissues in the brain.
A Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) or mini-stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is stopped for a short time. It can mimic stroke-like symptoms which generally disappear within 24 hours.

Every stroke is different and how well an individual recovers and how long it takes will vary from person to person. Common difficulties after stroke include problems with movement and balance, sensation and vision, communication, memory and cognition.

Subdural haematoma

A blood clot caused when blood leaks from a vein on the surface of the brain and collects between the skull and surface of the brain, pressing on the brain beneath. This can trigger a range of symptoms including vomiting, confusion and coma. The time course over which these symptoms occur varies greatly, depending upon the rate and extent of the leak.

Therapeutic hypothermia

Artificial cooling used to lower the core body temperature as a means of reducing the metabolism of brain cells and decrease their oxygen requirement, making them temporarily less prone to injury.

Tinnitus

Sounds such as ringing and buzzing in the ear in the absence of any noise in the environment, often associated with a degree of deafness.

Tracheostomy

An operation to insert a plastic tube in the neck just below the Adam’s apple. Through this tube, an adequate air passage can be maintained and it may be necessary to leave the tube in the windpipe for a prolonged period.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Generally used to describe damage caused from outside the brain as a result of a blow to the head which might be caused by anything from a simple trip to a major road accident or assault. A TBI is further classified as mild, moderate or severe. The effects can be wide ranging according to several factors including the type, location and severity of injury.

Traumatic Endolymphatic Hydrops or Post-Traumatic Ménières Disease

An abnormal build-up of fluid in the inner ear leading to periods of intense dizziness and associated with a degree of deafness.

Tremor

Regular repetitive movements which may be worse either at rest or on attempted movement.

Tumour

A brain tumour is a growth within or attached to the brain whether malignant (cancerous, able to spread to other areas) or benign (slow growing and not spreading to other areas).

Ventilator

A piece of medical equipment that helps with breathing for someone who is unable to breathe properly on their own.