Acoustic Neuroma

The term "acoustic neuroma" is actually a misnomer since the tumor never arises from the acoustic division of the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII) and the tumor is not a neuroma but a schwannoma.

Acoustic neuroma (or Vestibular Schwannoma) is a benign primary intracranial tumor, or brain tumor, of the myelin forming cells called "Schwann cells" (Schwannoma) of the 8th cranial nerve -also known as the acoustic nerve, (or more properly the vestibulocochlear nerve).

The vast majority (95%) of these tumors are sporadic, meaning they are not passed on through genes. Sporatic tumors occur in only one ear, and there are no known risk factors. Rarely these tumors are associated with a genetic disease called Neurofibromatosis Type II. Patients with Neurofibromatosis develop tumors at a younger age, usually have tumors on both sides and also have other manifestations, including benign tumors of the brain and dura (the covering of the brain).

Vestibular Schwannomas are generally slow growing (less than 3 millimeters per year) and may not grow at all if followed over time. However, tumor growth is not predictable, and some tumors grow more rapidly. When tumors are small they may give no symptoms or very subtle symptoms, such as a slight hearing loss or a noise in the ear (tinnitus). When tumors grow, they begin to cause injury to the hearing nerve and balance nerve, by compressing them. Patients may experience severe hearing loss (either suddenly or progressively over a period of years) or balance problems. Large tumors may compress the brainstem and result in headaches and other symptoms of increased intracranial pressure. Symptoms don't correlate well with size. Some patients with very small tumors may have obvious symptoms and likewise, some patients with large tumors may have no symptoms at all.

The diagnosis of Vestibular Schwannoma is made by history, hearing tests, and MRI scan. Gadolinium is a special contrast agent used during the MRI to allow visualization of the tumors. With good technique, MRI will show tumors as small as 2-4 millimeters.

Anemia of Chronic Disease

( I am bit confused now about this term,yet I will try to find more references and EDIT this later- author of blog ) Thank You.

Some believe that the name of this type of anemia is a misnomer and misleading. They prefer to call it “anemia of defective iron reutilization.”

Iron utilization is the iron that appears in red blood cells (RBC) after intravenous (IV) injection of radioactive inorganic iron into the circulation, whereas iron reutilization is the iron that appears in the RBC after IV injection of organic radioactive iron compounds such as hemoglobin.

The studies quoted in the review showing normal release of iron from the reticuloendothelial system (RES) to the circulating transfemn (Tf) ofpatients with rheumatoid arthritis are not convincing to me because the total iron released in the circulation from the RES was not determined by measurement of the actual blood volume.

In addition, patients with rheumatoid arthritis are notorious for having many causes of their anemia and one has to be very selective in studying ACD in this group of patients. The fact that patients with ACD respond to recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) does not rule out the defective release mechanism of iron from the RES in ACD. EPO in the dosage used may also act on the RES and enhance the release of iron. We have shown that testosterone, known to act on RBC precursors in patients with aplastic anemia, also acts on the RES to increase the release of iron in vivo and in vitro. The anemia and iron reutilization of patients with primary defective iron reutilization were corrected after testosterone therapy.Testosterone added in vitro to cultures of macrophages containing Fe-tagged RBC increased the release of iron to the media: and when the male hormone was injected into mice, it expanded the Tf pool in their macrophages, which I believe is a preliminary step for the release of iron from these cells.’ I think these studies could be repeated using EPO instead of testosterone to settle this point.

taken from http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/reprint/81/4/1108.pdf

Lupus Anticoagulant

The name "lupus anticoagulant" is a misnomer because most patients with a lupus anticoagulant do not actually have lupus erythematosus and it is not actually an ANTICOAGULANT....and only a small proportion actually develop this disease of SLE..

Aseptic meningitis

Aseptic meningitis is a misnomer, but it is a term used clinically to designate an illness comprising meningeal irritation, fever, and alterations of consciousness of relatively acute onset, generally of viral but rarely of bacterial or other etiology. It is called ASEPTIC because no bacteria are found on Staining but it is infective condition in hte real sence.


The clinical course is less fulminant than that observed in pyogenic meningitis, and the CSF findings also differ between the two conditions. There is a lymphocytic pleocytosis, the protein elevation is only moderate, and the sugar content is nearly always normal. The viral aseptic meningitides are usually self-limiting and are treated symptomatically. In approximately 70% of cases, a pathogen can be identified, most commonly an enterovirus. Echovirus, coxsackievirus, and nonparalytic poliomyelitis are responsible for up to 80% of these cases.

Tumor Suppressor Genes

In a sense, the term tumor-suppressor genes is a misnomer because the physiologic function of these genes is to regulate cell growth, not to prevent tumor formation.

Because the loss of these genes is a key event in many, possibly all, human tumors and because their discovery resulted from the study of tumors, the names tumor suppressor and antioncogene persist.

Prostatodynia

The term "prostatodynia" is a misnomer, as the prostate is actually normal.

Prostatodynia is a noninflammatory disorder that affects young and middle-aged men and has variable causes, including voiding dysfunction and pelvic floor musculature dysfunction.

Dyshidrotic eczema

Dyshidrotic eczema is the term used for POMPHOLYX or VESICULOBULLOUS HAND ECZEMA or DYSHIDROSIS..

"Dyshidrotic eczema" is a misnomer, suggesting that the vesicles of this condition are related to eccrine sweat ducts and sweating, which they are not.

This is an extremely common form of hand dermatitis, preferably called pompholyx (Gr "bubble") or vesiculobullous dermatitis of the palms and soles. Patients often have an atopic background and report flares with stress. Patients with widespread dermatitis due to any cause may develop pompholyx-like eruptions as a part of an autoeczematization response.

Cystic Medial Necrosis and Medionecrosis

Cystic Medial Necrosis and Medionecrosis are misnomers because there are no true cystic lesions in the former, and actual necrosis is rare in both.

Bicuspid Aortic Valve

The term bicuspid aortic valve is actually a misnomer; a raphe caused by commissural fusion of two leaflets usually exists. The valve is often dysplastic, with thickening and rolling of the leaflets.

The predominant pathophysiology results from a mildly obstructed nonlaminar (disturbed) flow across the abnormal valve. A left ventricle-to-aorta pressure gradient of variable severity occurs, setting the stage for the inevitable deterioration of the valve with long-term calcium deposition and progressive stenosis or regurgitation. In a study of young adults with aortic stenosis who presented for surgery between the ages of 21 and 38, diastolic murmurs were audible in 75%, and calcification was found at surgery in 75%. The valve is also at risk for endocarditis, which can lead to early destruction and regurgitation.

Pulsus paradoxus

The term is actually something of a misnomer because the paradoxical pulse represents an exaggeration of the normal small decline in systolic arterial pressure that occurs during inspiration.

Mycosis fungoides (MF)

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common clinicopathological subtype of primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

The term “mycosis fungoides” was first used in 1806 by Jean-Louis Marc Alibert, a French dermatologist, when he described a severe disorder in which large necrotic tumours resembling mushrooms presented on a patient’s skin. However, the designation is a misnomer since no association with a fungus exists.

Bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (BCIE)

The term is actually a misnomer because Bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma is not a true form of erythroderma, although it does resemble erythroderma clinically.
Bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma is a rare autosomal dominant disorder of keratinization caused by a genetic defect of the epidermal keratins, K1 and K10, which leads to impairment in the tonofilament network of differentiating epidermal cells. The disorder presents at birth with generalized erythema, blistering, and erosions, followed in time by hyperkeratosis. Erythroderma or exfoliative dermatitis describes generalized redness of the skin, usually more than 90 percent of the body surface area, with variable degrees of scaling caused by underlying dermatoses, drug reactions, malignancies, systemic diseases, infections and idiopathic disorders.

Lupus pernio

The term lupus pernio is a misnomer because the condition is not associated with lupus and has no association with pernio.

Lupus pernio is a rare but characteristic skin manifestation of sarcoidosis. The lesions are often deforming and appear as chronic, hyperpigmented or violaceous nodules or plaques of the nose, cheeks, ears, and central face. Histology shows sarcoidal granulomas .

Pernio, or chilblains, is a localized inflammatory lesion of the skin resulting from an abnormal response to cold. Pernio most commonly occurs in young women but may occur in older individuals or in children. Single or multiple erythematous-to-purplish, edematous plaques appear secondary to cold exposure and are accompanied by intense pain, itching, or burning .

Chicken pox

Chicken pox, which also is known by its Latin name of varicella, is a misnomer. The disease has nothing to do with chickens.

1.Chicken pox comes from the Middle French term "chiche pois" -- which means "chickpea."

"In the Middle Ages, people in Europe made the distinction between chicken pox and smallpox. The French called chicken pox 'varicella' but the English decided on a new word that referred to the size of a chickpea. The lesions on the skin were thought to be the size of chickpeas. 'Chichepois' eventually became 'chicken pox,'

The chicken pox virus itself is the second-largest known virus in the world and is about half the size of the smallpox virus. Of the 70 genes contained in chicken pox, only a few of the genes are important for the ability of the virus to infect people.

PNH

PNH is somewhat of a misnomer because the hemolysis is not necessarily nocturnal or paroxysmal. In fact, patients may recognize a low level of continuous hematuria..

It was called noturnal because the colour change was seen to be most dramatic in concentrated night time urine.

Malaria

Malaria is a misnomer. Drawn from the Italian mala aria, or "bad air," the name reflects the historical belief that the disease is caused by miasmas, or noxious exhalations from rotting matter or stagnant water.

In 1889, a tiny parasite was revealed as the disease-causing agent, and eight years later, the mosquito was identified as the parasite-carrying agent.

Nonfunctioning Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors

Nonfunctioning pancreatic endocrine tumors are more common, often larger, and more frequently malignant at the time of diagnosis. The term nonfunctioning is a misnomer, because these tumors may produce peptide hormones whose biologic actions are less clinically apparent.

In some instances, tumor-associated defects in post-translational processing may preclude the efficient synthesis and secretion of peptide hormones. Factors affecting prognosis include the presence of liver metastases, incomplete resection of the primary tumor, and poorly differentiated tumor cells.

Adenoma Sebaceum

Adenoma sebaceum is a misnomer because these growths are angiofibromas rather than tumors of the sebaceous gland tumors.

Adenoma sebaceum is the most commonly recognized cutaneous marker of tuberous sclerosis; the lesions appear on the face during middle to late childhood or adolescence in approximately 80% of patients. These red-brown or flesh-colored, smooth, glistening, telangiectatic 1–10?mm papules may extend from the nasolabial folds to the cheeks and chin.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

The term Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a misnomer because only a small percentage of all documented cases are currently reported from the Rocky Mountain region.

The disease occurs in almost every state of the continental United States, southwestern Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Mycotic Aneurysm

The term mycotic is a misnomer because, while it indicates infection as a causal element in the formation of the aneurysm, this is hardly ever due to a fungus.

In general, mycotic aneurysms are due to bacteria.