Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

electric shock therapy
See 
electroconvulsive
therapy.
electrocardiogram
A recording of the electrical
activity of the heart. Abbreviated ECG and EKG. An
ECG is a simple, noninvasive procedure. Electrodes
are placed on the skin of the chest and connected in
a specific order to a machine that, when turned on,
measures electrical activity all over the heart.
Output usually appears on a long scroll of paper
that displays a printed graph of activity on a com-
puter screen. The initial diagnosis of heart attack is
usually made through observation of a combination
of clinical symptoms and characteristic ECG
changes. An ECG can detect areas of muscle
deprived of oxygen and/or dead tissue in the heart.
If a medication is known to sometimes adversely
EKG
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affect heart function, a baseline ECG may be ordered
before the patient starts taking the medicine, and
follow-up testing may occur at regular intervals to
look for any changes.
electroconvulsive therapy
The use of con-
trolled, measured doses of electric shock to induce
convulsions. Convulsions so induced can sometimes
treat clinical depression that is unresponsive to
medication. Abbreviated ECT.
electrodesiccation
Use of an electric current to
destroy cancerous tissue and control bleeding.
electrodiathermy
See 
cauterization.
electroencephalogram
A technique for study-
ing the electrical currents within the brain.
Electrodes are attached to the scalp. Wires attach
these electrodes to a machine, which records the
electrical impulses. The results are either printed
out or displayed on a computer screen. Different
patterns of electrical impulses can denote various
forms of epilepsy. Abbreviated EEG.