decompression:  operation to relieve pressure on a structure

 

deep: Further away from the skin.

 

deep venous thrombosis or DVT:  A blood clot within a leg vein.

 

demineralized bone matrix:  A supplement to bone fusion made up of the fibrous proteins of bone.

 

demyelination:  The loss of the normal lining of an axon so that conduction of nerve signals is greatly slowed or blocked.

 

dens:  The portion of the C2 vertebra pointing upward.

 

dermatome:  An area of the skin innervated by a single spinal nerve root.

 

DEXA scan:  Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry used to assess bone density to diagnose osteoporosis.

 

diagnosis:  The identification of a medical condition that explains a patient's symptoms and predicts the necessary treatment.

 

diagnostic imaging:  The use of medical imaging to achieve a diagnosis.

 

discectomy:  Removal of all or part of a spinal disc.

 

discitis:  Infection within a disc space.

 

discogenic pain:  A pain syndrome deriving from an abnormal spinal disc.

 

discogram:  An injection used to evaluate the health of a spinal intervertebral disc, particularly to identify annular tears.

 

disc bulge:  An abnormal expansion on the margin of a disc, typically still well contained by the annulus.

 

disc herniation:  The escape of a portion of the nucleus pulposus through or partly through the annulus fibrosis.

 

distracting stimulus:  A sensory stimulation applied in order to distract the patient typically from pain carried by the same nerve.

 

dorsal:  Towards the back.

 

dorsal root ganglia:  A collection of neurons associated with the processing of sensory information. Found within the sensory portion of the spinal nerve, just as the nerve exits the spinal foramina.

 

dorsiflexion: Bending the ankle upward to bring the toes closer to the knee

 

double-blind randomized trial:  A type of medical research study in which neither the patient nor the physician knows whether a treatment or a placebo has been given.  Considered to help avoid bias in the evaluation of results of an experiment.

 

dura:  A hard, leathery membrane that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord.

 

dysphagia:  Difficulty swallowing.