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

patient's rights
those rights attributed to a person seeking health care. The American Hospital Association has approved a statement called the “Patient's Bill of Rights,” regarding a patient's rights during hospitalization. In general, the rights of a patient are concerned with his or her being fully informed about the illnes...

Patrick sign
Patrick test (pat´rik) the thigh and knee of the supine patient are flexed, the external malleolus rests on the patella on the opposite leg, and the knee is depressed; production of pain indicates arthritis of the hip. Called also fabere sign.

patrilineal
(pat″rĭ-lin´e-әl) descended through the male line.

pattern
(pat´әrn) a design to be followed or a device to be used in making something. a characteristic set of traits or actions. capsular pattern the predictable loss of range of motion in a joint following injury or a degenerative process such as arthritis; this often occurs ...

patulous
(pat´u-lәs) spread widely apart; open; distended.

Paul-Bunnell test
(pawl´ bә-nel´) the original heterophile antibody test, which determined the highest dilution of the patient's serum that was capable of agglutinating sheep red blood cells.

Paul-Bunnell-Davidsohn test
(pawl´ bә-nel´ da´vid-son) a type of heterophile antibody test for infectious mononucleosis, a modification of the Paul-Bunnell test that differentiates among three types of heterophile sheep erythrocyte agglutinins: those associated with infectious mononucleosis, those associated with serum sickness, and natural antibo...

pause
(pawz) an interruption or rest. compensatory pause the period following a premature ventricular contracture, which causes the R-R cycles of the premature and normal beats to equal the length of two normal beats when added together.

Pautrier abscess
Pautrier microabscess one of the well-defined collections of mycosis cells located within the epidermis in T-cell lymphoma and mycosis fungoides.

pavement cells
the flat cells composing pavement epithelium.

pavementing
(pāv´mәnt-ing) adhesion of leukocytes to the lining endothelium of the blood vessels of an injured part, which occurs as the circulation slows down within the vessels in response to inflammation.

pavor
(pa´vor) Latin word meaning terror. pavor diurnus attacks of anxiety in children during a daytime nap. pavor nocturnus a sleep disturbance usually occurring in children and characterized by extreme anxiety occurring shortly after sleep onset, with ...

Paxil
(pak´sil) trademark for preparations of paroxetine hydrochloride, an antidepressant and antianxiety agent.

payment
(pa´mәnt) remuneration in exchange for goods or services. prospective payment payment to a health care facility at a predetermined rate for treatment regardless of the cost of care for a specific individual patient. third party payment paymen...

Payr disease
(pīr) splenic flexure syndrome.

PB
Pharmacopoeia Britannica (British Pharmacopoeia).

Pb
lead1 (L. plum´bum).

PBB
polybrominated biphenyl.

PBI
protein-bound iodine.

PCA
patient-controlled analgesia.

PCA test
see passive cutaneous anaphylaxis.

PCB
polychlorinated biphenyl.

PCC
prothrombin complex concentrate.

PCG
phonocardiogram.

PCI
percutaneous coronary intervention.

PCL
posterior cruciate ligament.

PCO2
the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood; also written PCO2, pCO2, or pCO2.

PCOS
polycystic ovary syndrome.

PCP
phencyclidine.

PCR
polymerase chain reaction.

PCV
packed-cell volume.

PD
peritoneal dialysis.

Pd
palladium.

PDR
Physicians' Desk Reference.

PEA
pulseless electrical activity.

peach kernel oil
persic oil.

peak pressure
in mechanical ventilation, the highest pressure that occurs during inhalation.

Péan operation
hip joint amputation in which the vessels are ligated during the course of the operation.

peanut oil
(pe´nut) a refined fixed oil from seed kernels of cultivated varieties of Arachis hypogaea; used as a solvent for drugs.

pearl
(purl) a smooth lustrous deposit found in certain mollusks, valued as a gem. something resembling this structure, either because of being round and hard or because of being considered valuable. a rounded mass of tough sputum, as seen in the early stages of an attack of asthma. ...

pearl-worker's disease
recurrent inflammation of bone with hypertrophy, seen in persons who work in pearl dust.

pearly tumor
cholesteatoma.

Pearson syndrome
(pēr´sәn) a rare congenital syndrome of refractory sideroblastic anemia with vacuolization of bone marrow precursors and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; most affected children die in infancy unless given transfusions.

pecten
(pek´tәn) Latin word meaning a comb. In anatomy, it is applied to certain comblike structures. a narrow zone in the anal canal, bounded above by the pectinate line. adj., pectin´eal., adj. pecten ossis pubis pectineal line.

pectenosis
(pek″tә-no´sis) stenosis of the anal canal due to an inelastic ring of tissue between the anal groove and anal crypts.

pectin
(pek´tin) a one-sugar polymer of sugar acids of fruit that forms gels with sugar at the proper pH. A purified form from the rind of citrus fruits or from apple pomace is used in treatment of diarrhea and as a suspending agent in pharmaceutical preparations.

pectinate
(pek´tĭ-nāt) comb-shaped.

pectinate line
one marking the junction in the anal canal where the part lined with columnar epitheliumends and the part lined with stratified squamous epithelium begins.

pectinate muscles of left atrium
small ridges of muscle fibers projecting from the inner walls of the left auricle of the heart.

pectinate muscles of right atrium
small ridges of muscle fibers projecting from the inner walls of the right auricle of the heart and extending in the right atrium to the crista terminalis.

pectineal
(pek-tin´e-әl) (pek″tĭ-ne´әl) pertaining to the os pubis.

pectineal hernia
a type of femoral hernia that enters the femoral canal and then perforates the aponeurosis of the pectineus muscle; called also Cloquet hernia.

pectineal ligament
a strong aponeurotic lateral continuation of the lacunar ligament along the pectineal line of the pubis.

pectineus muscle
pectineal muscle: origin, pectineal line of pubis; insertion, pectineal line of femur; innervation, obturator and femoral nerves; action, flexes, adducts thigh.

pectiniform
(pek-tin´ĭ-form) comb-shaped.

pectoral
(pek´tәr-әl) thoracic.

pectoral limb
the arm (upper limb), or a homologous part.

pectoral muscles
the four muscles of the chest.

pectoral reflex
with the subject's upper limb placed halfway between adduction and abduction and the examiner's finger in the muscle tendon near the humerus, a sharp blow of the finger elicits adduction and slight internal rotation.

pectoral region
the aspect of the chest overlying the pectoralis major muscle, subdivided into the lateral pectoral, mammary, and inframammary regions.

pectoral veins
a collective term for branches of the subclavian vein that drain the pectoral region.

pectoralis
(pek″tә-ra´lis) (-ral´is) Latin word meaning thoracic; a term used in anatomy.

pectoralis major muscle
greater pectoral muscle: origin, clavicle, sternum, six upper costal cartilages, aponeurosis of external oblique muscle of abdomen; the origins are reflected in the subdivision of the muscle into clavicular, sternocostal, and abdominal parts; insertion, crest of intertubercular groove of humerus; innervation, medial and lateral pecto...

pectoralis minor muscle
smaller pectoral muscle: origin, third, fourth, and fifth ribs; insertion, coracoid process of scapula; innervation, lateral and medial pectoral nerves; action, draws shoulder forward and downward, raises third, fourth, and fifth ribs in forced inspiration.

pectoriloquy
(pek″tә-ril´ә-kwe) voice sounds of increased resonance heard through the chest wall, such as egophony and bronchophony.

pectus
(pek´tәs) thorax. pectus carinatum a malformation of the chest wall in which the sternum is abnormally prominent; in severe cases, the deformity may interfere with lung and heart action, causing dyspnea on exercise and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections. Called also ...

pedal
(ped´әl) pertaining to the foot or feet.

pedal edema
swelling of the feet and ankles.

pederast
(ped´әr-ast) one who practices pederasty.

pederasty
(ped´әr-as″te) anal intercourse between a man and a boy.

pediatrician
(pe″de-ә-trĭ´shәn) a physician specializing in pediatrics.

pediatrics
(pe″de-at´riks) the branch of medicine dealing with the child, development and care of children, and the nature and treatment of diseases of children. adj., pediat´ric., adj.

pedicellation
(ped″ĭ-sә-la´shәn) pediculation (def. 1).

pedicle
(ped´ĭ-kәl) a footlike, stemlike, or narrow basal part or structure, such as a narrow strip by which a graft of tissue remains attached to the donor site. pedicle of vertebral arch one of the paired parts of the vertebral arch that connect a lamina to the vertebral body.

pedicle flap
one consisting of the full thickness of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue, attached by tissue through which it receives its blood supply. Called also pedicle graft.

pedicle graft
pedicle flap.

pediculation
(pә-dik″u-la´shәn) the process of forming a pedicle; called also pedicellation.

pediculicide
(pә-dik´u-lĭ-sīd) destroying lice. an agent that destroys lice. adj., pediculici´dal., adj.

pediculosis
(pә-dik″u-lo´sis) infestation with lice (see louse). Lice live on the host's blood, obtained by piercing the skin and sucking the blood through the mouth part. The area of skin that has been bitten itches and may become sore and infected if the host continually scratches it. Not only are lice an annoya...

pediculous
(pә-dik´u-lәs) infested with lice.

Pediculus
(pә-dik´u-lәs) a genus of lice. Pediculus humanus a species that feeds on human blood and is an important vector of relapsing fever, typhus, and trench fever; two subspecies are recognized: P. humanus capitis (head louse) found on the scalp hair, and P. humanus humanu...

pedigree
(ped´ĭ-gre) lineage. a list of ancestors. a chart or diagram of an individual's ancestors used in genetics in the analysis of inheritance of specific traits.

pedodynamometer
(pe″do-di-nә-mom´ә-tәr) an instrument for measuring leg strength.

pedograph
(pe´do-graf) the analysis of a footprint. a device used to obtain footprints for analysis.

pedophilia
(pe″do-fil´e-ә) a paraphilia in which an adult desires or engages in sexual relations with a child; it may be either homosexual or heterosexual in nature. adj., pedophil´ic., adj.

pedorthics
(pә-dor´thiks) the design, manufacture, fitting, and modification of shoes and related foot appliances as prescribed for the amelioration of painful or disabling conditions of the lower limb and foot. adj., pedor´thic., adj.

pedorthist
(pә-dor´thist) a person skilled in pedorthics and practicing its application.

peduncle
(pә-dung´kәl) a stemlike connecting part. a collection of nerve fibers connecting between different regions in the central nervous system. the stalk by which a nonsessile tumor is attached to normal tissue. adj., pedun´cular., adj.

peduncles of thalamus
the four two-way radiations of thalamocortical fibers that connect the dorsal thalamus with many parts of the cerebral cortex, which together form a major portion of the internal capsule and the corona radiata.

peduncular veins
veins that drain the cerebral peduncle into the basal vein.

pedunculated
(pә-dung´ku-lāt″әd) having a peduncle.

pedunculus
(pә-dung´ku-lәs) peduncle.

peel
(pēl) the outer covering of something. to remove such an outer covering. a plastic surgery technique involving removal of the outermost layer of skin. chemical peel chemabrasion.

peeling skin syndrome
keratolysis exfoliativa.

PEEP
positive end-expiratory pressure. auto-PEEP (aw´to-pēp″) , intrinsic PEEP intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure.

peg
(peg) a projecting structure. rete pegs rete ridges.

peg cells
intercalary cells.

pegademase
(peg-ad´ә-mās) adenosine deaminase derived from bovine intestine and attached covalently to polyethylene glycol, used in replacement therapy for adenosine deaminase deficiency in immunocompromised patients.

Peganone
(peg´ә-nōn) trademark for a preparation of ethotoin, an anticonvulsant.

pegaspargase
(peg-as´pahr-jās) L-asparaginase derived from Escherichia coli and covalently linked to polyethylene glycol; used as an antineoplastic in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, administered intramuscularly or intravenously.