Medical Glossary and Definitions

Abdomen

Area between the chest and the hips that contains the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen.

Ablation

The removal, esp. of organs, abnormal growths, or harmful substances from the body by mechanical means, as by surgery.

Affect

A person's affect is their immediate emotional state which the person can recognize subjectively and which can also be recognized objectively by others. A person's mood is their predominant current affect.

Allograft

A tissue or organ obtained from one member of a species and grafted to genetically dissimilar member of the same species.

Amenorrhea

Absence or cessation of menstrual periods.

Androgen

A hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of male sex characteristics.

Antibiotic

Chemical substances, produced by living organisms or synthesized (created) in laboratories, for the purpose of killing other organisms that cause disease.

Antibody

A protein produced by the immune system that helps identify and destroy foreign germs (virus or bacteria) that attack the body.

Anus

The opening of the rectum, or large intestine, to the outside of the body.

Aorta

Blood vessel that delivers oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle to the body; it is the largest blood vessel in the body.

Aortic Valve

The valve that regulates blood flow from the heart into the aorta.

Arterioles

Small branches of arteries.

Artery

A blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart to the body.

Atrophy

A continuous decline of a body part or tissue, usually a muscle, following a period of disuse or immobility.

Autograft

A tissue or organ that is grafted into a new position on the body of the individual from which it was removed.

Autologous

From the same organism: Example: and autologous graft

Autoplasty

The repair of defects with tissue from another part of the patient’s body.

Autopsy

Examination of a body after death; performed to determine cause of death, or to verify a diagnosis.

Barium

A metallic, chemical, chalky, liquid used to coat the inside of organs so that they will show up on an x-ray.

Bilateral

Affecting both sides of the body; for example, bilateral breast cancer is cancer occurring in both breasts at the same time (synchronous) or at different times (metachronous).

Biliary Tract

Gallbladder and the bile ducts.

Bladder

A hollow organ that urine drains into from the kidneys.

Bowel

Another word for the small and large intestines.

Bur

A cutting tool resembling that of a dentist, used for the excavation of bone.

Buttonhole

A short, straight incision through the wall of a cavity or a canal.

Cannula

A metal tube for insertion into the body to draw off fluid or to introduce medication.

Cartilage

A smooth material that covers bone ends of a joint to cushion the bone and allow the joint to move easily without pain.

Catheter

A flexible tube used to drain fluid from or inject fluid into the body. The most common catheter is the Foley catheter, used to drain urine from the bladder.

Centesis

A puncture into a body cavity, usually to remove fluid.

Cerebellum

A large structure consisting of two halves (hemispheres) located in the lower part of the brain; responsible for the coordination of movement and balance.

Cerebrum

Consists of two parts (lobes), left and right, which form the largest and most developed part of the brain; initiation and coordination of all voluntary movement take place within the cerebrum.

Cervix

The outer, lower part of the uterus, with an opening connecting the uterus to the vagina.

Colon

Large intestine.

Colon polyps

Small, fleshy, mushroom-shaped growths in the colon.

Cornea

The clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye.

Curette

A scoop-shaped surgical instrument for removing tissue from body cavities, as the uterus.

Cutdown

The incision of a superficial vein in order to effect direct insertion of a catheter.

DDS

Doctor of Dental Surgery.

Debride

To clean (a wound) by debridement.

Debridement

Surgical removal of foreign matter and dead tissue from a wound.

Decerebrate

Decerebrate - A form of posturing caused by severe brain injury.

Decompression

The procedure of relieving increased cranial, cardiac, or orbital pressure.

Defibrillator

An electronic device used to establish normal heartbeat.

Dehiscence

The bursting open of a surgically closed wound.

Delusions

A condition in which the patient has lost touch with reality and experiences hallucinations and misperceptions.

Depressor

An instrument for pressing down a protruding part, as a tongue depressor.

Dermatome

A mechanical instrument for cutting thin sections of skin for grafting.

Drain

A material or appliance for maintaining the opening of a wound to permit free exit of fluids.

Drainage

The drainage of fluids, as bile, urine, etc., from the body, or of pus and other diseased products from a wound.

Durable Power of Attorney

A Legal document denoting a friend or family member as your legal guardian in case you are unable to make medical decisions for yourself.

Endodontist

An endodontist has undergone specialized training in performing root canal therapy.

Epidemic

A large outbreak of disease (see outbreak). An epidemic could include many people from the same city or community, or even from an entire country. A world-wide epidemic is called a pandemic.

Eviscerate

To remove the contents of (a body organ).

Excise

To cut out or off, as a tumor.

Excision

The surgical removal of a foreign body or of tissue.

Exfoliate

To remove the surface of (a bone, the skin, etc.) In scales or laminae.

Exfoliation

The act, state, or process of exfoliating.

Explore

To investigate into, esp. mechanically, as with a probe.

Exscind

To cut out or off.

Exsect

To cut out.

Fallopian Tubes

Two thin tubes that extend from each side of the uterus, toward the ovaries, as a passageway for eggs and sperm.

Femur

Thighbone.

Fibrillation

Rapid contractions of the heart muscle.

Fibrosis

The growth of scar tissue possibly due to infection, inflammation, injury, or even healing.

Fistula

An opening made into a hollow organ, as the bladder or eyeball, for drainage.

Fixator

A device incorporating a metal bar and pins that is used in stabilizing difficult bone fractures.

Flap

A portion of skin or flesh that is partially separated from the body and may subsequently be transposed by grafting.

Forceps

An instrument, as pincers or tongs, for seizing and holding objects, as in surgical operations.

Ganglion

A cluster of nerve cells.

Gastric

Related to the stomach.

Gastroenterology

Field of medicine concerned with the function and disorders of the digestive system.

Genes

Basic, functional units of heredity, each occupying a specific place on a chromosome.

Glucose

A simple sugar, which is the body’s main source of energy.

Graft

A portion of living tissue surgically transplanted from one part of an individual to another, or from one individual to another, for its adhesion and growth.

Hallucination

An abnormal sensory experience that arises in the absence of a direct external stimulus.

Heart-Lung Machine

A machine that performs for the heart during open heart surgery.

Hematopathology

The study of blood, bone marrow and the organs and tissues that use blood cells to perform their functions.

Hemorrhage

The medical term for bleeding.

Hepatologist

Physician who specializes in liver diseases.

Hormones

Chemical substances created by the body that control numerous body functions.

Hydrotherapy

Use of water as a medical treatment.

Ileum

Lower end of the small intestine.

Immune System

Complex network of specialized cells and organs that work together to defend the body against attacks by "foreign" invaders such as bacteria and viruses.

Immunology

The study of the body’s immune system - its functions and disorders.

Interventional Radiology

An area of specialty within the field of radiology which uses various radiology techniques (such as x-ray, CT scans, MRI scans, and ultrasounds) to place wires, tubes, or other instruments inside a patient to diagnose or treat an array of conditions.

Incision

A cutting into, esp. for surgical purposes.

Inflammation

Characteristic reaction of tissues to injury or disease marked by four signs: swelling, redness, heat, and pain.

Insulin

A hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin affects the amount of glucose absorbed by the liver.

Jejunum

Middle section of the small intestine between the duodenum and ileum.

Jugular Veins

Veins that carry blood from the head back to the heart.

Labia Majora

The outer lips of the vagina.

Labia Minora

The inner lips of the vagina.

Lancet

A small surgical instrument, usually sharp-point and two-edged, for making small incisions, opening abscesses, etc.

Laparoscope

A flexible fiberoptic instrument, passed thorugh a small incision in the abdominal wall and equipped with several surgical devices.

Larynx

Valve structure between the trachea (windpipe) and the pharynx (the upper throat); the primary organ of voice production.

Lesion

An injury or wound.

Lipid

A fatty substance in the blood.

Lipoproteins

Transporters of fatty substances in the blood.

Liver

Largest organ in the body; performs important functions such as making bile, changing food into energy, and cleaning alcohol and poisons from the blood.

Living Will

A legal document which states your medical preferences for treatment and resuscitation in the event you can no longer speak for yourself.

Lymph Nodes

Small glands clustered in the neck, armpits, abdomen, and groin that supply infection-fighting cells to the bloodstream and filter out bacteria and other antigens.

Lymphatic System

Tissues and organs, including bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes, that produce, store, and carry white blood cells to fight infection and disease.

Mastoid

Back portion of the temporal bone behind the ear.

Microsurgery

Any of various surgical procedures performed under magnification and with small specialized instruments, permitting very delicate operations, as the reconnection of severed blood vessels and nerves.

Mitral Valve

The valve that controls blood flow between the left atrium and left ventricle in the heart.

Murmur

A blowing or rasping sound heard while listening to the heart; may or may not indicate problems within the heart or circulatory system.

Neuron

A cell specialized to conduct and generate electrical impulses and to carry information from one part of the brain to another.

Neuropathology

The study of the nervous system.

Neurosurgery

Surgery of the brain or other nerve tissue.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical substances that carry impulses from one nerve cell to another; found in the space (synapse) that separates the transmitting neuron’s terminal (axon) from the receiving neuron’s terminal (dendrite).

Nuclear Medicine

A specialized area of radiology that uses very small amounts of radioactive substances to examine organ function and structure.

Oncologist

A physician who specializes in treating cancer, including Surgical Oncologist, Radiation Oncologist, Pediatric Oncologist, Gynecologic Oncologist, and Medical Oncologist.

Operation

A procedure aimed at restoring or improving the health of a patient, as by correcting a malformation, removing diseased parts, implanting new parts, etc.

Orthodontics

Orthodontics is the dental specialty that focuses on the development, prevention, and correction of irregularities of the teeth, bite, and jaw.

Orthopedic Surgery

The medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of injuries and diseases of the body’s musculoskeletal system.

Outbreak

An unusually large number of cases of a disease occurring around the same time and place, involving people who all got the disease from the same source or from each other.

Ovaries

Pair of small glands, located on either side of the uterus, in which egg cells develop and are stored and the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are produced.

Pacemaker

An electronic device that is surgically implanted into the patient’s heart and chest to regulate heartbeat.

Palpitation

Sensation of rapid heartbeats.

Palsy

Paralysis of a muscle or group of muscles.

Pancreas

Long gland that lie behind the stomach; manufactures insulin and digestive enzymes.

Pathology

The study of diseases.

Perfuse

To pass (fluid) through blood vessels or the lymphatic system.

Perfusion

The passage of fluid through the lymphatic system or blood vessels to an organ or a tissue.

Pituitary Gland

Gland at the base of the brain that secretes hormones and regulates and controls other hormone-secreting glands and many body processes, including reproduction.

Placenta

Organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy; links the blood supplies of a pregnant woman to the fetus to provide nutrients and remove waste products.

Plasma

The watery, straw-colored fluid which carries the cellular elements of the blood through circulation.

Plastic Surgery

The branch of surgery dealing with the repair or replacement of malformed, injured, or lost organs or tissues of the body, chiefly by the transplant of living tissue.

Polyp

A growth that projects from the lining of mucous membrane, such as the intestine.

Prognosis

A prediction of the course of a disease.

Prosthesis

A device, either external or implanted, that substitutes for or supplements a missing or defective part of the body.

Prosthetics

The branch of surgery or of dentistry that deals with replacement of missing parts with artificial structures.

Pulmonary

Pertains to lungs and respiratory system.

Pulmonary Artery

Blood vessel delivering oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle to the lungs.

Radiologist

A physician specializing in the medical field of radiology.

Rectum

Lower end of the large intestine, leading to the anus.

Respiratory System

The group of organs responsible for carrying oxygen from the air to the bloodstream and for expelling carbon dioxide.

Saliva

Mixture of water, protein, and salts that makes food easy to swallow; begins digestion.

Scalpel

A small, light, usually straight knife used in surgical and anatomical operations and dissections.

Set

To put (a broken or dislocated bone) back in position.

Shunt

A channel through which blood or other bodily fluid is diverted from its normal path by surgical reconstruction or by a synthetic tube.

Sinus

Air cavities within the facial bones, lined by mucous membranes similar to those in other parts of the airways.

Speculum

An instrument for rendering a part accessible to observation, as by enlarging an orifice.

Spleen

Organ lying between the stomach and diaphragm that stores red blood cells and filters blood.

Sponge

A sterile surgical dressing of absorbent material, usually cotton gauze, for wiping or absorbing pus, blood, or other fluids during a surgical operation.

Sternum

The breastbone.

Stoma

An artificial opening between two hollow organs or between one hollow organ and the outside of the body, constructed to permit the passage of body fluids or waste products.

Stomach

A saclike expansion of the alimentary canal of a vertebrate communicating anteriorly with the esophagus and posteriorly with the duodenum.

Sudden Death

Death that occurs unexpectedly or immediately after onset of symptoms.

Surgeon

A physician who specializes in surgery.

Surgery

The art, practice, or work of treating diseases, injuries, or deformities by manual or operative procedures; Treatment, as an operation, performed by a surgeon.

Surgical

Pertaining to or involving surgery or surgeons.

Surgicenter

A surgical facility, not based in a hospital, where minor surgery is performed on an outpatient basis.

Systolic Blood Pressure

The highest pressure to which blood pressure rises with the contraction of the heart.

Tendon

A cord that connects muscle to bone or other tissue.

Tibia

Shin Bone.

Tissue

Group or layer of cells that together perform specific functions.

Toxin

Poison.

Tracheostomy

The construction of an artificial opening through the neck into the trachea, usually for the relief of difficulty in breathing.

Urethra

Narrow channel through which urine passes from the bladder out of the body.

Uterus

Also called the womb, the uterus is a hollow, pear-shaped organ located in a woman’s lower abdomen, between the bladder and the rectum, that sheds its lining each month during menstruation and in which a fertilized egg implants and grows into a fetus.

Vagina

The passage that connects a woman's outer sex organs with the cervix and uterus

Valve

Fold in the lining of an organ that prevents fluid from flowing backward.

Varicose Vein

An abnormally dilated vein, usually found in the legs.

Vein

A blood vessel that carries blood from the body back into the heart.

Vulva

A woman's external sex organs, including the clitoris, the labia, and opening to the vagina.