DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does differential diagnosis mean? 

• DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS (noun)
  The noun DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS has 1 sense:

1. a systematic method of diagnosing a disorder (e.g., headache) that lacks unique symptoms or signs

  Familiarity information: DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A systematic method of diagnosing a disorder (e.g., headache) that lacks unique symptoms or signs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("differential diagnosis" is a kind of...):

medical diagnosis (identification of a disease from its symptoms)

 Context examples 

Morphologically, the differential diagnosis from parathyroid gland adenoma may be difficult.

(Parathyroid Gland Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Morphologically, there is melanocytic atypia and the differential diagnosis from melanoma may be difficult.

(Dysplastic nevus, NCI Thesaurus)

Results are interpreted using a light microscope and aid in the differential diagnosis of pathophysiological processes, which may or may not be associated with a particular antigen.

(Immunohistochemistry Staining Method, NCI Thesaurus)

The clinical differential diagnosis includes squamous cell carcinoma in situ and superficial fungal infection.

(Extramammary Paget Disease, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Differential diagnoses include choroid plexus papilloma, papillary meningioma and metastatic papillary carcinomas.

(Papillary Ependymoma, NCI Thesaurus/Adapted from WHO)