EXPRESSIONS USED BETWEEN DOCTORS IN

DISCUSSING A DIAGNOSIS.

CERTAIN FAIRLY UNCERTAIN

CERTAIN
YES IS SEEMS MIGHT

MUST PROBABLY COULD

LIKELY MAY

NO CAN´T UNLIKELY POSSIBLY

DEFINETILY A
NOT POSSIBILITY

EXCLUDE

RULE OUT

e.g. The patient might have cervical spondylosis.

Cervical spondylosis is a possibility.
He seems to have arteritis.
There is no neck stiffness. It´s unlikely that he´s
got cervical spondylosis.

THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATIONS PROVIDE

STRONGER EVIDENCEFOR OUR FINAL DIAGNOSIS.
……… WE CAN SAY:
- A raised ESR makes temporal arteritis very likely.
- Normal skull X-ray EXCLUDES a space-occupying
lesion.
- He can´t have a space-occupying lesion.
FINALLY, FOLLOWING THE BIOPSY, WE CAN SAY:

- HE MUST HAVE TEMPRAL ARTERITIS.