Word parts
What it means
A herniaHER-nee-uhA bulge of an organ or tissue through a weak spot in the muscle or tissue wall that normally holds it in.Full entry in the abdomen is herniation of bowel or fat through the abdominal wall. A herniated disc is the soft center of a spinal disc pushing out and pressing on nerves. Brain herniation happens when very high pressure inside the skull pushes brain tissue past the rigid structures around it; it is life-threatening.
For the nurse
In a client with rising intracranial pressure, report quickly a falling level of consciousness, a pupil that becomes large or sluggish, or a rising blood pressure with a slowing pulse.
Related terms
intracranial pressure
The pressure inside the skull, made by the brain, the blood and the fluid around the brain.
hernia
A bulge of an organ or tissue through a weak spot in the muscle or tissue wall that normally holds it in.
herni/o
A word root that means hernia, a bulge of an organ or tissue through a weak spot in the wall around it.