The nurse is assessing a 5-year-old who has had a seizure. The patient's symptoms include
Explanation
• The child is showing signs and symptoms of a brain tumor. A CT scan is a noninvasive method of supporting this diagnosis.
• During the procedure, the patient lies still on a table that moves into a doughnut-shaped x-ray device called a gantry. The gantry uses multiple x-ray beams and detectors that rotate and produce cross-sectional views in three dimensions. The machine can be noisy.
• A definitive diagnosis can only be confirmed by histological examination of biopsy tissue.
• The most common symptoms of a brain tumor include headaches, seizures, nausea and vomiting, visual changes, syncope, and papilledema.
• Incorrect: A lumbar puncture, bone marrow biopsy, or x-ray will not aid in the diagnosis of a brain tumor.