Paget's Jargon Buster Q - R

Q

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R

Radiograph: An x-ray image.

Radiographer: A professional who prepares and produces x-rays for a radiologist.

Radiologist: A doctor who specialises in radiology and diagnostic investigations such as x-ray, MRI and CT.

Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT): A type of scientific experiment using random allocation of different treatments to participants, to ensure that the effectiveness of the treatment is not just due to the placebo effect.

Rheumatologist: A doctor who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the joints, muscles, and bones.

Reclast: A brand name for zoledronate, which is a member of the bisphosphonate class of drugs. It is a treatment given for Paget’s disease via an infusion into the bloodstream.

Referred pain: Pain that is felt in a different location from that of the cause.

Radionuclide bone scan: Also known as a scintigram, isotope bone scan or nuclear medicine bone scan, it can determine which bones have Paget’s disease and how active the disease is. The scan involves an injection into a vein of a small and safe amount of a mildly radioactive chemical called an isotope. This travels to the bones via the bloodstream and after around 3 hours a ‘gamma’ camera scans the skeleton to produce an image. Abnormal bone absorbs more radioactivity than normal bone, so these areas will be highlighted on the scan results.

Risedronate: A drug that can be used to treat Paget’s disease. It is a member of the bisphosphonate class of drugs.

Risk factor: Anything that increases a person's chances of developing a disease.

ROM: Range of Motion.