Copy of `Dorland's Medical Dictionary`

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Dorland's Medical Dictionary Category: Health and Medicine > Medical Dictionary Date & country: 31/12/2010, USA Words: 39128

doped
(dōpt) having impurities (dopants) added purposely during manufacturing.

Doppler effect
(dop´ler) the relationship of the apparent frequency of waves, as of sound, light, and radio waves, to the relative motion of the source of the waves and the observer; the frequency increases as the two approach each other and decreases as they move apart. The Doppler effect can be experienced when a train whistle ...

Doppler shift
(dop´ler) the magnitude of frequency change caused by the Doppler effect.

Doppler ultrasonic flowmeter
(dop´ler) Doppler ultrasound flowmeter a device for measuring blood flow that transmits sound at a frequency of several megahertz downstream along the flowing blood. Some of the sound waves are reflected by the moving red blood cells back toward the transducer. The difference in pitch between the transmitted and reflected soun...

Doppler ultrasonography
that in which the shifts in frequency between emitted ultrasonic waves and their echoes are used to measure the velocities of moving objects, based on the principle of the Doppler effect. The waves may be continuous or pulsed; the technique is frequently used to examine blood flow through the heart or blood vessels (Doppl...

Dorello canal
(do-rel´o) an occasional opening in the temporal bone through which the abducens nerve and inferior petrosal sinus enter the cavernous sinus.

Dorendorf sign
fullness of the supraclavicular groove on one side in aneurysm of the aortic arch.

dornase alfa
(dor´nāz al´fә) recombinant human deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) used to reduce the viscosity of sputum in cystic fibrosis patients; administered by inhalation.

Dorothy Reed cells
Reed-Sternberg cells.

dorsad
(dor´sad) toward the back.

dorsal
(dor´sәl) directed toward or situated on the back surface, as opposed to ventral. See also posterior.

dorsal artery of clitoris
origin, internal pudendal artery; branches, none; distribution, clitoris.

dorsal artery of foot
dorsalis pedis artery.

dorsal artery of penis
origin, internal pudendal artery; branches, none; distribution, glans, corona, and prepuce of penis.

dorsal digital arteries of foot
origin, dorsal metatarsal arteries; branches, none; distribution, dorsum (upper side) of toes.

dorsal digital arteries of hand
origin, dorsal metacarpal arteries; branches, none; distribution, dorsum (back) of fingers.

dorsal digital nerves of foot
nerves supplying the third, fourth, and fifth toes; origin, intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve; distribution, skin and joints of adjacent sides of third and fourth, and of fourth and fifth toes; modality, general sensory. nerves supplying the first and second toes; origin, medial terminal division of deep peroneal nerv...

dorsal digital veins of foot
the veins on the dorsal surfaces of the toes that unite in pairs around each cleft to form the dorsal metatarsal veins.

dorsal elevated position
the patient lies on the back, with shoulders and head elevated.

dorsal flexure
one of the flexures in the mid-dorsal region of the embryo.

dorsal funiculus of spinal cord
posterior funiculus of spinal cord.

dorsal horn of spinal cord
posterior horn of spinal cord.

dorsal interossei muscles of foot
dorsal interosseous muscles of foot (4): origin, adjacent surfaces of metatarsal bones; insertion, base of proximal phalanges of second, third, and fourth toes and their extensor expansions; innervation, lateral plantar nerve; action, abduct, flex toes.

dorsal interossei muscles of hand
dorsal interosseous muscles of hand (4): origin, by two heads from adjacent sides of metacarpal bones; insertion, bases of proximal phalanges and corresponding extensor expansions of second, third, and fourth fingers; innervation, ulnar nerve; action, abduct fingers, flex proximal phalanges, extend middle and distal phalanges.

dorsal lingual veins
veins that unite with a small vein accompanying the lingual artery and join the main lingual trunk.

dorsal metacarpal arteries
origin, dorsal carpal rete and radial artery; branches, dorsal digital arteries; distribution, dorsum (back) of fingers.

dorsal metacarpal veins
veins that arise from the union of dorsal veins of adjacent fingers and pass proximally to join in forming the dorsal venous rete of the hand.

dorsal metatarsal arteries
origin, arcuate artery of foot; branches, dorsal digital arteries; distribution, dorsum (upper side) of foot, including toes.

dorsal metatarsal veins
veins that are formed by the dorsal digital veins of the toes at the clefts of the toes, joining the dorsal venous arch.

dorsal nasal artery
origin, ophthalmic artery; branches, branch to nasolacrimal sac and branch joining with terminal part of facial artery; distribution, skin of nose.

dorsal nerve of clitoris
origin, pudendal nerve; distribution, deep transverse perineal and urethral sphincter muscles; corpus cavernosum clitoridis; and skin, prepuce, and glans of clitoris; modality, general sensory and motor.

dorsal nerve of penis
origin, pudendal nerve; distribution, deep transverse perineal and urethral sphincter muscles; corpus cavernosum penis; and skin, prepuce, and glans of penis; modality, general sensory and motor.

dorsal pancreatic artery
origin, splenic artery; branches, inferior pancreatic artery; distribution, neck and body of pancreas.

dorsal plate
roof plate.

dorsal position
supine position.

dorsal recumbent position
one in which the patient is on the back, with lower limbs flexed and rotated outward; used in vaginal examination, application of obstetrical forceps, and other procedures.

dorsal reflex
contraction of the back muscles in response to stimulation of the skin over the erector spinae muscle; called also erector spinae reflex.

dorsal respiratory group
a part of the medullary respiratory center that controls the basic rhythm of respiration.

dorsal rigid position
the patient lies on the back with hips and knees flexed and thighs drawn up to the body.

dorsal root ganglion
spinal ganglion.

dorsal scapular artery
origin, second or third part of subclavian artery (or may be deep branch of transverse cervical artery); branches, none; distribution, rhomboid, latissimus dorsi, and trapezius muscles.

dorsal scapular nerve
origin, brachial plexus—anterior ramus of C5; distribution, rhomboid muscles and occasionally the levator scapulae muscle; modality, motor.

dorsal scapular vein
an occasionally present venous branch that contributes to the subclavian vein.

dorsal vein of corpus callosum
a vein that drains the superior surface of the corpus callosum into the great cerebral vein.

dorsal veins of tongue
dorsal lingual veins.

dorsal zone of His
the smaller upper thickening of the dorsal portion of the embryonic spinal cord projecting into the central canal.

dorsalgia
(dor-sal´jә) pain in the back.

dorsalis
(dor-sa´lis) Latin word meaning dorsal; used in anatomical names.

dorsalis pedis artery
origin, continuation of anterior tibial artery; branches, lateral and medial tarsal, arcuate, and deep plantar arteries; distribution, foot, toes.

dorsalis pedis pulse
the pulse felt on the top of the foot, between the first and second metatarsal bones. In 8 to 10 per cent of the population this pulse cannot be detected.

dorsiflexion
(dor″sĭ-flek´shәn) backward flexion or bending, as of the hand or foot.

dorsocephalad
(dor″so-sef´ә-lad) toward the back of the head.

dorsocuboidal reflex
Mendel-Bekhterev reflex.

dorsolateral
(dor″so-lat´әr-әl) pertaining to the back and side. See also posterolateral.

dorsolateral tract
a group of nerve fibers in the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord dorsal to the posterior column.

dorsosacral position
lithotomy position.

dorsoventral
(dor″so-ven´trәl) pertaining to the dorsal and ventral surfaces of a body. directed from the back to the front; posteroanterior.

dorsoventral axis
one passing from the posterior to the anterior surface of the body.

dorsum
(dor´sәm) pl. dor´sa Latin word meaning the back; a term used in anatomy. the aspect of an anatomical structure or part corresponding in position to the back.

dorzolamide
(dor-zo´lә-mīd) a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor used in treatment of open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension; administered topically to the conjunctiva as the hydrochloride salt.

dosage
(do´sәj) the determination and regulation of the size, frequency, and number of doses.

dose
(dōs) the quantity to be administered at one time, as a specified amount of medication or a given quantity of radiation.

dose rate
the amount of any therapeutic agent administered per unit of time.

dose-effect curve
dose-response curve a graphic representation of the effect caused by an agent (such as a drug or radiation) plotted against the dose, showing the relationship of the effect to changes in the dose.

dosha
(dosh´ә) according to the principle of constitution of the physical body in ayurveda, one of the three vital bioenergies (vata,pitta, and kapha) that are responsible for the physical and emotional tendencies in the mind and body, and along with the seven dhatus (tissues) and three malas (waste products) make up the huma...

dosimeter
(do-sim´ә-tәr) an instrument used to detect and measure exposure to radiation.

dosimetric system
a regular and determinate system of administration of a therapeutic agent.

dosimetry
(do-sim´ә-tre) scientific determination of amount, rate, and distribution of radiation emitted from a source of ionizing radiation.

dot
(dot) a small spot.

double aortic arch
a congenital anomaly in which the aorta divides into two branches that embrace the trachea and esophagus and reunite to form the descending aorta.

double bind
(dub´әl bīnd´) a type of paradoxical communication or interaction in which one person demands a response to a message that contains mutually contradictory signals (verbal or nonverbal). The other person is unable to comment on the incongruity or to escape the situation.

double blind
(dub´әl blīnd) denoting a clinical trial or other experiment in which neither the administrator nor the recipient, at the time of administration, knows which treatment a particular subject is receiving.

double bond
a covalent bond in which two atoms share two pairs of electrons.

double bubble sign
on a radiograph of the abdomen, appearance of two foci of gas, one in the stomach and the other in the duodenum, signifying duodenal obstruction. The same sign, but consisting of the stomach and duodenum distended by fluid, may be observed in the fetus by ultrasonography.

double collecting system
duplex collecting system a collecting system involving a double ureter; there may be either a duplex kidney or an ectopic kidney.

double diffusion
an immunodiffusion test in which both antigen and antibody diffuse into a common area so that, if the antigen and antibody are interacting, they combine to form bands of precipitate.

double fracture
fracture of a bone in two places.

double glucagon test
(for deficiency of amylo-1-6-glucosidase) glucagon is administered after a 12-hour fast and again shortly after a meal; if the blood sugar fails to rise after the first administration but has a normal rise after the second, the test is positive.

double minutes
acentric chromosomal fragments created by gene amplification and newly integrated into the chromosome; they are tumor markers that indicate solid neoplasms with a poor prognosis.

double penis
diphallus.

double personality
dual personality dissociative identity disorder.

double pneumonia
that affecting both lungs.

double refraction
refraction in which incident rays are divided into two refracted rays.

double support phase
a phase of the gait in normal walking; see gait analysis.

double tachycardia
the occurrence of two types of ectopic tachycardia at the same time, such as nodal and ventricular tachycardia.

double vision
diplopia.

double-armed suture
one made with suture material threaded through a needle at each end. Called also cobbler's suture.

double-button suture
a form of stitch in which the suture material is passed deep across the edges of the wound, between two buttons placed on the surface of the skin, one on either side of the suture line.

double-channel catheter
double-lumen catheterdual-lumen catheter a catheter with two channels, one for injection and the other for removal of fluids; called also two-way catheter.

double-contrast examination
radiologic examination of the stomach or intestine in two stages: first a high concentration of contrast medium is injected; then when most of that has been evacuated, air or an effervescent substance is injected to inflate the organ; the light coating of contrast medium on the mucosal surface reveals clearly any abnormalities....

double-contrast radiography
mucosal relief radiography.

double-flap amputation
closed amputation in which two flaps are formed.

double-inlet ventricle
a congenital anomaly in which both atrioventricular valves, or a single common atrioventricular valve, open into a single ventricle, which usually resembles the left ventricle morphologically (double-inlet left valve) but may resemble the right (double-inlet right valve) or neither or both ventricles.

double-outlet left ventricle
a rare anomaly in which both great arteries arise from the left ventricle, often associated with a hypoplastic right ventricle, ventricular septal defect, and other cardiac malformations.

double-outlet right ventricle
incomplete transposition of the great ventricles in which both the aorta and the pulmonary artery arise from the right ventricle, associated with a ventricular septal defect.

double-step gait
a gait in which there is a noticeable difference in the length or timing of alternate steps.

douche
(dldbomacsh) a stream of water or air directed against a part of the body or into a cavity. air douche a current of air blown into a cavity, particularly into the tympanum to open the eustachian tube. vaginal douche irrigation of the vagina to cleanse the a...

Douglas bag
(dug´lәs) a receptacle for the collection of exhaled air, permitting measurement of respiratory gases; typically used to measure dead space to tidal volume ratio (VD/VT).

Douglas fold
(dug´lәs) a crescentic line marking the termination of the posterior layer of the sheath of the rectus abdominis muscle, just below the level of the iliac crest.

Douglas pouch
(dug´lәs) Douglas cul-de-sac.