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

gray columns of spinal cord
the longitudinally oriented parts of the spinal cord in which the nerve cell bodies are found, comprising the gray matter; see anterior column, intermediate column, and posterior column.

gray degeneration
neurodegeneration involving the white matter of the spinal cord, in which it loses myelin and assumes a gray color.

gray fibers
unmyelinated fibers found largely in the sympathetic nerves.

gray induration
induration of lung tissue in or after pneumonia, without the pigmentation seen in brown induration.

gray platelet syndrome
a rare deficiency of the alpha granules of platelets, resulting in a bleeding disorder that may include ecchymoses, petechiae, and epistaxis from infancy on.

gray scale
a representation of intensities in shades of gray, as in gray-scale ultrasonography.

gray substance
gray matter.

gray-scale ultrasonography
B-mode ultrasonography in which the strength of echoes is indicated by a proportional brightness of the displayed dots.

great alveolar cells
type II alveolar cells.

great anterior medullary artery
artery of Adamkiewicz.

great auricular nerve
origin, cervical plexus—C2–C3; branches, anterior and posterior branches; distribution, skin over parotid gland and mastoid process, and both surfaces of auricle; modality, general sensory.

great cardiac vein
a vein that collects blood from the anterior surface of the ventricles, follows the anterior longitudinal sulcus, and empties into the coronary sinus.

great cerebral vein
a short median trunk formed by union of the two internal cerebral veins, which curves around the splenium of the corpus callosum and empties into, or is continued as, the straight sinus.

great pancreatic artery
origin, splenic artery; branches and distribution, right and left branches join with other pancreatic arteries.

great phrenic artery
inferior phrenic artery.

great radicular artery
artery of Adamkiewicz.

great saphenous vein
the longest vein in the body, extending from the dorsum of the foot to just below the inguinal ligament, where it opens into the femoral vein. It drains the foot and leg through many branches.

great vessels
the large blood vessels that enter the heart, including the aorta, the pulmonary arteries and veins, and the venae cavae.

greater curvature of stomach
the left or lateral and inferior border of the stomach, marking the inferior junction of the anterior and posterior surfaces.

greater horn of hyoid bone
a bony projection passing upward and backward from the main part (body) of the hyoid bone.

greater occipital nerve
origin, medial branch of posterior ramus of C2; distribution, semispinalis capitis muscle and skin of scalp as far forward as the top of the head; modality, general sensory and motor.

greater omentum
a peritoneal fold attached to the anterior surface of the transverse colon.

greater palatine artery
origin, descending palatine artery; branches, none; distribution, hard palate.

greater palatine foramen
the lower opening of the greater palatine canal, found laterally on the horizontal plate of each palatine bone, transmitting a palatine nerve and artery.

greater palatine nerve
origin, pterygopalatine ganglion; branches, posterior inferior (lateral) nasal branches; distribution, comes out through the greater palatine foramen and supplies the palate; modality, parasympathetic, sympathetic, and general sensory.

greater pelvis
pelvis major.

greater petrosal nerve
origin, intermediate nerve via geniculate ganglion; distribution, running forward from the geniculate ganglion, it joins the deep petrosal nerve of the pterygoid canal, and reaches lacrimal, nasal, and palatine glands and nasopharynx, via pterygopalatine ganglion and its branches; modality, parasympathetic and general sensory.

greater splanchnic nerve
origin, thoracic sympathetic trunk and fifth through tenth thoracic ganglia; distribution, descending through the diaphragm or its aortic openings, ends in celiac ganglia and plexuses, with a splanchnic ganglion commonly occurring near the diaphragm; modality, preganglionic sympathetic and visceral afferent.

greater vestibular gland
Bartholin gland.

green
(grēn) a color between yellow and blue, produced by energy with wavelengths between 490 and 570 nm. a dye or stain with this color.

green blindness
imperfect perception of green tints; see deuteranopia and protanopia.

Greenfield disease
(grēn´fēld) the infantile form of metachromatic leukodystrophy.

greenstick fracture
one in which one side of a bone is broken and the other is bent, most commonly seen in children.

Greig syndrome
(greg) ocular hypertelorism.

Greither disease
(gri´ter) a rare autosomal dominant type of diffuse palmoplantar keratoderma that slowly spreads to adjacent areas of the arms and legs and is accompanied by hyperhidrosis of the affected palms and soles.

grenade-thrower's fracture
fracture of the humerus caused by muscular contraction, as in throwing a grenade.

grenz rays
very soft electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of about 2 angstroms.

grenz zone
a narrow layer in the upper dermis just below the epidermis, made up of densely packed collagen fibrils, which is not infiltrated in the same way other layers of the dermis are. It is seen in granuloma faciale, lepromatous leprosy, and a few other conditions.

Grey Turner sign
Turner sign.

GRH
growth hormone–releasing hormone.

grid
(grid) a grating. in radiology, a device consisting essentially of a series of narrow lead strips closely spaced on their edges and separated by spacers of low density material; used to reduce the amount of scattered radiation reaching the x-ray film. a chart with horizontal and perpendicular...

grid cutoff
differences in radiographic intensity that are caused by improper focusing of the lead lines of a grid.

grid ratio
a ratio comparing the height of lead lines in an x-ray grid to the distance between the lead strips.

grid therapy
therapeutic application of ionizing radiations through a metal grid having a pattern of small, evenly spaced perforations.

gridiron incision
McBurney incision.

grief
(grēf) mental suffering or distress in response to a threatened or real loss, as loss of a body part or function, death of another person, or loss of one's possessions, job, status, or ideals.

Griesinger sign
edematous swelling behind the mastoid process; seen in thrombosis of the transverse sinus.

Griess test
a formerly common test for nitrate-reducing bacteria in a fluid, done by adding sulfuric acid and an indicator to a dilute solution and watching for a color change. The same name is now applied to nitrite tests for bacteriuria in which a urine specimen collected when the patient wakes in the morning is tested for nitrites using a spe...

Griffith sign
lower lid lag on upward gaze, a manifestation of Graves orbitopathy.

Grigg test
(for proteins) metaphosphoric acid precipitates all proteins except the peptones.

grinder's disease
pneumoconiosis of grinders.

grip
(grip) a grasping or clasping. popular term for influenza.

Griscelli syndrome
(gre-sel´e) an albinoidism of autosomal recessive inheritance, marked by hypomelanosis, frequent pyogenic infection, hepatosplenomegaly, neutro- and thrombopenia, and possible immunodeficiency. Called also hypopigmentation-immunodeficiency disease.

Grisel syndrome
(gre-zel´) subluxation of the atlantoaxial joint after an upper respiratory tract infection or an adenoidectomy, usually seen in children.

griseofulvin
(gris″e-o-ful´vin) an antibiotic administered orally as an antifungal agent for infections of the skin, nails, and scalp. Treatment usually must be prolonged and the patient must be watched for signs of leukopenia, which often occurs when the drug is administered over a long period of time.

Gritti amputation
Gritti operation knee disarticulation in which the patella is fused to the distal end of the femur.

Gritti-Stokes amputation
amputation of the lower limb at the knee through condyles of the femur.

Grocco sign
Grocco triangle. extension of the liver dullness to the left of the midspinal line, indicating enlargement of the organ.

Grocco triangle
a triangular area of dullness on the back, on the side opposite to that of a pleural effusion. Called also Grocco sign.

grocer's itch
a vesicular dermatitis caused by mites such as species of Glycyphagus and Tyrophagus that live in stored hides, dried fruits, grain, copra, or cheese.

groin
(groin) iliac region.

groin hernia
inguinal hernia.

grommet
(grom´әt) a tube inserted through the tympanic membrane for drainage of the middle ear.

groove
(grldbomacv) a narrow, linear hollow or depression; see also fissure and sulcus. branchial groove pharyngeal groove. Harrison groove a horizontal groove along the lower border of the thorax corresponding to the costal insertion of the diaphragm; seen in adv...

Groshong catheter
a single or double lumen cardiac catheter inserted into the right atrium with an external port. Unlike the Hickman and Broviac catheters, this type has a valve at the distal end, eliminating the need for clamping and preventing blood from entering it when not in use.

gross
(grōs) coarse or large. visible to the naked eye without the use of magnification; called also macroscopic.

gross anatomy
that dealing with structures visible with the unaided eye.

Gross disease
(grōs) encysted rectum; saccular dilatation of anal wall with retained inspissated feces.

Gross leukemia
a transmissible murine leukemia, first transmitted to newborn C3H mice by inoculation of filtrate of leukemic tissue from AK2 mice, thus demonstrating its viral etiology.

ground
(ground) a path of conduction from an electrical circuit to the earth. to connect an electrical circuit or electrical equipment to the earth. zero electrical potential.

ground itch
the itching eruption caused by entrance into the skin of the larvae of the hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale or Necator americanus; see also hookworm disease.

ground itch anemia
hookworm anemia.

ground lamella
interstitial lamella.

ground state
the condition of lowest energy of a nucleus, atom, or molecule.

ground substance
the gel-like material in which connective tissue cells and fibers are embedded.

ground-glass cell
a hepatocyte having finely granular, eosinophilic cytoplasm and staining positively for hepatitis B surface antigen, characteristic of chronic hepatitis B.

groundnut oil
peanut oil.

group
(grldbomacp) an assemblage of objects having certain things in common. a number of atoms forming a recognizable and usually transferable portion of a molecule.

group agglutination
agglutination, usually to a lower titer, of various members of a group of biologically related organisms by an agglutinin specific for one of that group. For instance, the specific agglutinin of typhoid bacilli may agglutinate other members of the colon-typhoid group, such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis.

group agglutinin
one that has a specific action on certain organisms, but will agglutinate other species as well.

group medicine
the practice of medicine by a group of physicians, usually representing various specialties, who are associated together for the cooperative diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

group test
a test of intelligence or aptitude given to a number of persons at one time.

group therapy
a form of psychotherapy in which a group of patients meets regularly with a group leader, usually a therapist. The group may be balanced, having patients with diverse problems and attitudes, or it may be composed of patients who all have similar diagnoses or issues to resolve. In some groups, patients may be basically men...

group-transfer
(grldbomacp″trans´fәr) denoting a chemical reaction (excluding oxidation and reduction) in which molecules exchange functional groups, a process catalyzed by enzymes called transferases.

grouper
(grldbomacp´әr) any of various usually large marine fish of the genera Epinephelus and Mycteroperca, found in tropical waters; they are often eaten by humans but sometimes contain ciguatoxin and can cause ciguatera.

Grover disease
(gro´vәr) transient acantholytic dermatosis.

growing pains
any of various types of recurrent limb pains resembling those of rheumatoid conditions, seen in early youth and formerly thought to be caused by the growing process.

growth
(grōth) the progressive development of a living thing, especially the process by which the body reaches its point of complete physical development. an abnormal formation of tissue, such as a tumor.

growth curve
the curve obtained by plotting increase in size or numbers against the elapsed time.

growth disk
epiphyseal plate.

growth factor
any substance that promotes skeletal or somatic growth; usually a mineral, hormone, or vitamin.

growth hormone
(GH) any of several related anterior pituitary hormones that directly influence protein, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism and control the rate of skeletal and visceral growth. Their secretion is in part controlled by the hypothalamus. Pharmaceutical preparations include somatrem and somatropin. Called also somat...

growth hormone cell adenoma
growth hormone–secreting adenoma.

growth rate
an expression of the increase in size of an organic object per unit of time.

Gruber syndrome
(groo´ber) Meckel-Gruber syndrome.

Gruentzig balloon catheter
a flexible balloon catheter with a short guidewire fixed to the tip, used for dilation of arterial stenoses; the balloon is made of low-compliance plastic to reduce the risk of arterial rupture.

grumous
(groo´mәs) lumpy or clotted.

Grünfelder reflex
dorsal flexion of the great toe with a fanwise spreading of the other toes elicited by continued pressure at the corner of the posterior lateral fontanelle; normal in infants but a sign of middle ear disease in older children.

gryposis
(grĭ-po´sis) abnormal curvature, as of the nails.

Grönblad-Strandberg syndrome
(grәrn´blahd strahnd´berg) angioid streaks in the retina together with pseudoxanthoma elasticum of the skin.