Child Health Assessment Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions from Chapter 34: Child Health Assessment.

Antitoxins

Antibodies produced against toxin-producing bacteria.

Audiogram

A record of audiometric testing.

Auscultation

Listening to sounds that are either discernible to the ear or made louder by means of a stethoscope.

Bruit

A swishing or blowing sound that occurs if there is an outpouching of the aorta (an aneurysm).

Chief concern

The reason parents have brought the child to the health care agency.

Conjunctivitis

An infection of the thin conjunctiva that covers the eye globe.

Deep tendon reflexes

Reflexes (such as triceps, biceps, patellar, and Achilles reflexes) tested to evaluate motor and sensory function as well as balance and coordination.

Diaphragmatic excursion

The distance the diaphragm descends with inhalation, providing an estimation of lung volume.

Epispadias

A urethral opening located on the superior or dorsal (upper) surface of the penis.

Esotropia

Strabismus in which an eye is always turning in.

Exotropia

Strabismus in which an eye is always turning out.

Gamma globulin

Serum obtained from the pooled blood of many people that provides artificially acquired passive immunity.

Geographic tongue

A rough-appearing tongue surface that often accompanies general symptoms of illness such as fever.

Hordeolum

A stye, which is an infection of the gland that lubricates an eyelash.

Hydrocele

A fluid-filled sac in the scrotum.

Hypospadias

A urethral opening located on the inferior or ventral (under) surface of the penis.

Inspection

Examining a child or adolescent initially with your eyes or nose, being alert to visual indications or odors that may point to a health problem.

Intelligence

The ability to think abstractly, to adjust to new situations, and to profit from experience.

Intercostal spaces

The spaces between ribs, numbered according to the ribs immediately above them.

Kwashiorkor

A serious protein deficiency causing hair to become striped with dark and light color.

Palpation

Examining by touch (either light or deep) to gather information on warmth, texture, vibration, consistency, contour, and edema.

Percussion

The assessment of a body structure by determining the sound heard in response to striking the part with an examining finger and interpreting the sound.

Physiologic splitting

A normal variation in heart sound where the pulmonary valve closes slightly later than the aortic valve during inspiration.

Point of maximum impulse

The point on the chest where the left ventricle or apical heartbeat can be observed or heard best.

Ptosis

A condition in which an eyelid obscures vision because it does not retract far enough when the child opens the eyes.

Retractions

Indentation of intercostal spaces or the suprasternal and substernal areas reflecting difficult respirations.

Review of systems

A summary or systematic review of body symptoms from head to toe.

Sinus arrhythmia

A normal phenomenon where a marked heart rate increase occurs as a child inspires and a marked decrease occurs as the child expires.

Strabismus

A condition referring to eyes that are not evenly aligned.

Temperament

A child's innate behavioral characteristics, such as activity level, rhythmicity, tendency to approach or withdraw, and adaptability to situations.

Toxoid

An extract of a bacterial toxin with reduced virulence used as a vaccine.

Turgor

The amount of fluid in body tissue, assessed via skin elastic rebound.

Varicocele

An enlarged vein of the epididymis.