[This message has been edited by Annette (edited September 20, 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Arleen (edited September 21, 1999).]

Thanks again.

quote:

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Fluctuance and the more traditional form fluctuancy refer to the quality of being fluctuant, as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary. Fluctuation is not interchangeable, much less synonymous with these terms. Fluctuation is simply the act of ebbing and flowing, or rising and falling in waves. A physician might refer to fluctuations in fever or blood glucose, but would scarcely ever use the word with respect to the ebb and flow of fluid in the body, since such ebb and flow don't occur spontaneously in any condition I can think of. They do occur when induced by rhythmic palpation by an examiner looking for fluctuancy. Incidentally, the plural noun form fluctuants is wholly illegitimate and meaningless evidently a phonetic misspelling of dictated fluctuance. --T. H. Dirckx, M.D., Dayton, OH.

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Several discussions (questions/comments seem to come up at least once a year) can be found on sci.med.transcription (newsgroup). The threads can be identified through a Deja News search for fluctuance. You may also wish read the "fluctuance - fluctuation" post here on the MC (found by using the Message Center search feature--not the MT Desk search, but the Message Center search using the link in small print above next to the faq link).

[This message has been edited by Toni (edited September 20, 1999).]

Shirley