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

polystyrene
(pol″e-sti´rēn) the resin produced by polymerization of styrol, a clear resin of the thermoplastic type, used in the construction of denture bases.

polysynaptic
(pol″e-sĭ-nap´tik) pertaining to or relayed through two or more synapses.

polysyndactyly
(pol″e-sin-dak´tә-le) hereditary association of polydactyly (extra fingers or toes) and syndactyly (webbed fingers or toes).

polytef
(pol´ĭ-tef) the pharmaceutical name for Teflon, a polymer of tetrafluoroethylene, used as a surgical implant material for many prostheses, such as artificial vessels and orbital floor implants, and for many applications in skeletal augmentation and skeletal fixation.

polytenosynovitis
(pol″e-ten″o-sin″o-vi´tis) inflammation of several or many tendon sheaths at the same time.

polythelia
(pol″e-the´le-ә) the presence of more than two nipples; called also hyperthelia.

polythiazide
(pol″ĭ-thi´ә-zīd) a thiazide diuretic used as an antihypertensive agent and for treatment of edema.

polytocous
(po-lit´ә-kәs) giving birth to several offspring at one time.

Polytome
(pol´e-tōm) trademark name for a tomographic machine that can achieve a multidimensional motion.

polytomogram
(pol″e-to´mo-gram) the record produced by polytomography.

polytomography
(pol″e-to-mog´rә-fe) tomography of tissue at several predetermined planes.

polytrichia
(pol″e-trik´e-ә) hypertrichosis.

polyunsaturated
(pol″e-әn-sach´әr-āt″әd) denoting a fatty acid that has more than one double bond in its hydrocarbon chain.

polyunsaturated fat
a fat containing polyunsaturated fatty acids.

polyunsaturated fatty acid
(PUFA) a type of unsaturated fatty acid that contains two or more double bonds. They are found in vegetable and seed oils. Polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet can lower plasma lipid levels and thus lower serum cholesterol. However, they have been shown to lower both low-density and high-density lipoprotein levels, a...

polyuria
(pol″e-u´re-ә) excessive excretion of urine, such as with diabetes mellitus.

polyvalent
(pol″e-va´lәnt) multivalent; having more than one valence.

polyvalent crotaline antivenin
antivenin (Crotalidae) polyvalent.

polyvalent vaccine
a vaccine prepared from cultures or antigens of more than one strain or species.

polyvinyl chloride
a tasteless, odorless, clear hard resin with many industrial uses, including as packaging, clothing, and insulation of pipes and wires. Workers in its manufacture are at risk primarily because of the toxicity of its parent compound, vinyl chloride. Excessive inhalation of its dust can cause pneumoconiosis.

polyvinylpyrrolidone
(pol″e-vi″nәl-pĭ-rōl´ĭ-dōn) povidone.

pomade acne
a type of contact acne seen primarily in persons of African descent who groom their scalps and facial hair with greasy lubricants; characteristics are closed comedones and a few papular pustules around the face.

Pomeroy operation
Pomeroy technique a method of tubal ligation in which a loop of fallopian tube is picked up and ligated at its base with an absorbable suture, about 5 cm from the uterine cornua, and the tied loop is then resected. (A), Tube is grasped with forceps; (B), a loop is ligated; (C), the loop is...

Pomona fever
a type of leptospirosis, widespread in humans and domestic animals.

Pompe disease
(pom´pә) glycogen storage disease, type II.

pompholyx
(pom´fo-liks) an intensely pruritic skin eruption on the sides of the digits or on the palms and soles, consisting of small, discrete, round vesicles, accompanied by pruritus, a burning sensation, and excessive sweating. It is a self-limited condition usually lasting a few weeks.

pons
(ponz) pl. pon´tes that part of the metencephalon lying between the medulla oblongata and the midbrain, ventral to the cerebellum; see also brainstem. any slip of tissue connecting two parts of an organ.

Ponstel
(pon´stel) trademark for a preparation of mefenamic acid, an analgesic and antiinflammatory.

Pontiac fever
(pon´te-ak) a benign, influenzalike illness with little or no pulmonary involvement, caused by Legionella pneumophila and first observed in Pontiac, Michigan. It is not life-threatening as is the pulmonary form known as legionnaires disease. This syndrome appears within 2 to 3 hours of contact with an infected person and last...

pontic
(pon´tik) an artificial tooth on a fixed partial denture, usually occupying the space previously occupied by the crown of a natural tooth.

ponticulus
(pon-tik´u-lәs) pl. ponti´culi a small ridge or bridgelike structure. adj., pontic´ular., adj.

pontine
(pon´tīn) (pon´tēn) pertaining to the pons.

pontine arteries
origin,basilar artery; branches, none; distribution, pons and adjacent areas of brain.

pontine flexure
a flexure of the hindbrain in the embryo.

pontine nuclei
masses of nerve cells scattered throughout the ventral part of the pons, in which the longitudinal fibers of the pons terminate; their axons in turn cross to the opposite side and form the middle cerebellar peduncle, which projects fibers to the neocerebellum.

pontine syndrome
Raymond-Cestan syndrome.

pontine veins
veins that drain the pons and empty into the basal vein, cerebellar veins, petrosal or venous sinuses, or venous plexus of the foramen ovale.

pontobulbar
(pon″to-bul´bәr) pertaining to the pons and the region of the medulla oblongata dorsal to it.

pontocerebellar
(pon″to-ser″ә-bel´әr) pertaining to the pons and cerebellum.

pontomesencephalic
(pon″to-mes″әn-sә-fal´ik) pertaining to or involving the pons and the mesencephalon.

pool
(pldbomacl) a common reservoir on which to draw; a supply available to be used by a group. to create such a reservoir or supply, such as the mixing of plasma from several donors. an accumulation, as of blood in any part of the body due to retardation of the venous circulation. ...

Pool phenomenon
Schlesinger sign. in tetany, the muscles of the upper limb contract when it is raised above the head with the forearm extended, because that causes stretching of the brachial plexus.

Pool-Schlesinger sign
Schlesinger sign.

pooled serum
the mixed serum from a number of individuals.

popcorn cell
a variant of the Reed-Sternberg cell, having a multilobed nucleus that resembles an exploded popcorn kernel.

popliteal
(pop-lit´e-әl) pertaining to the area behind the knee.

popliteal artery
origin, continuation of femoral artery; branches, lateral and medial superior genicular, middle genicular, sural, lateral and medial inferior genicular, anterior and posterior tibial arteries, and the genicular articular and the patellar retes; distribution, knee, calf.

popliteal bursitis
a swelling behind the knee, caused by escape of synovial fluid which then becomes enclosed in a sac or membrane; called also Baker cyst.

popliteal fossa
the hollow at the posterior part of the knee.

popliteal pterygium syndrome
popliteal web syndrome. Fèvre-Languepin syndrome.

popliteal pulse
one palpated in the popliteal fossa, most easily felt when the patient is lying prone with the knee flexed about 45 degrees.

popliteal vein
a vein following the popliteal artery and formed by union of the veins that accompany the anterior and posterior tibial arteries; at the adductor hiatus it becomes continuous with the femoral vein.

popliteal web syndrome
a congenital syndrome consisting chiefly of popliteal webs, cleft palate, lower lip pits, and dysplasia of the toenails; a wide variety of other abnormalities may be associated. Called also popliteal pterygium syndrome.

popliteus muscle
popliteal muscle: origin, lateral condyle of femur, lateral meniscus; insertion, posterior surface of tibia; innervation, tibial nerve; action, flexes leg, rotates leg medially.

population
(pop″u-la´shәn) the individuals collectively constituting a certain category or inhabiting a specified geographic area. in statistics, a theoretical concept used to describe an entire group or collection of units, finite or infinite; from it a sample can be drawn.

population genetics
the study of the distribution of genes in populations and of how genes and genotype frequencies are maintained or changed.

poractant alfa
(por-ak´tant al´fә) an extract of porcine lung surfactant administered by instillation via the endotracheal tube in treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

poradenitis
(por-ad″ә-ni´tis) inflammation of lymph nodes with formation of small abscesses.

Porak-Durante syndrome
(po-rahk´ du-rahnt´) osteogenesis imperfecta (type II), recessive form.

porcine
(por´sīn) pertaining to swine.

porcine graft
a split-thickness graft of skin from a pig, applied to a denuded area on a human as a temporary dressing for treatment of a severe burn.

porcine valve
a type of prosthetic heart valve made from a pig aortic valve cured in glutaraldehyde and mounted on a supporting structure.

pore
(por) a small opening or empty space. sweat pore the opening of a sweat duct on the surface of the skin.

porencephalia
(por″en-sә-fal´e-ә) porencephaly.

porencephalitis
(por″en-sef″ә-li´tis) porencephaly with inflammation of the brain.

porencephalous
(por″en-sef´ә-lәs) characterized by porencephaly.

porencephaly
(por″en-sef´ә-le) development or presence of abnormal cysts or cavities in the brain tissue, usually communicating with a lateral ventricle; they may or may not cause symptoms. adj., porencephal´ic, porenceph´alous., adj.

porfimer
(por´fĭ-mer″) a light-activated antineoplastic agent related to porphyrin, used as the sodium salt in the treatment of esophageal carcinoma and non–small cell lung carcinoma; administered intravenously.

pork tapeworm
Taenia solium.

porokeratosis
(por″o-ker″ә-to´sis) a rare, chronic, progressive autosomal dominant skin disorder, seen most often in males, usually first appearing in early childhood, and characterized clinically by the presence of craterlike patches that have central atrophy with an elevated thick keratotic border and enlarg...

poroma
(pә-ro´mә) a type of benign adnexal tumor arising within or on the side of a sweat pore; there are both apocrine and eccrine varieties.

porosis
(pә-ro´sis) formation of the callus in repair of a fractured bone. cavity formation.

porosity
(pә-ros´ĭ-te) the condition of being porous. pore.

porous
(por´әs) penetrated by pores and open spaces.

porphin
(por´fin) the fundamental ring structure of four linked pyrrole nuclei around which porphyrins, hemin, cytochromes, and chlorophyll are built.

porphobilinogen
(por″fo-bĭ-lin´ә-jәn) an intermediary product in the biosynthesis of heme.

porphobilinogen test
a test for the presence of porphobilinogen; see Watson-Schwartz test.

porphyria
(por-fēr´e-ә) a usually hereditary disorder characterized by a disturbance in porphyrin metabolism with resultant increase in the formation and excretion of porphyrins (uroporphyrin and coproporphyrin) or their precursors. Porphyrins in combination with iron form hemes, which in turn combine with specific proteins ...

porphyria cutanea tarda
(PCT) (por-fēr´e-ә ku-ta´ne-ә tahr´dә) the most common form of porphyria, characterized by photosensitivity of the skin, causing bullae, scarring, discoloration, growth of facial hair, and sometimes scleroderma with loss of hair. It is often associated with alcoholism, liver disea...

porphyria variegata
(por-fēr´e-ә vә-ri″ә-ga´tә) a hereditary, autosomal dominant, type of hepatic porphyria characterized by chronic skin problems, especially extreme mechanical fragility of the skin, particularly areas exposed to the sunlight, and by episodes of abdominal pain and neuropathy. There is ty...

porphyrin
(por´fә-rin) any of a group of iron- or magnesium-free cyclic tetrapyrrole derivatives, occurring universally in protoplasm, and forming the basis of the respiratory pigments of animals and plants; in combination with iron they form hemes. Examples include coproporphyrin, hematoporphyrin, protoporphyrin, and uropo...

porphyrinogen
(por″fә-rin´ә-jәn) the reduced form of a porphyrin. The porphyrinogens are the functional intermediates in the biosynthesis of heme and if oxidized to their corresponding porphyrins, such as occurs in porphyrias, are irreversibly removed from the biosynthetic pathway and accumulate in tissues. Th...

porphyrinuria
(por″fә-rĭ-nu´re-ә) excessive excretion of one or more porphyrins in the urine; see porphyria.

port-wine stain
a persistent dark red to purple nevus flammeus that grows proportionately with the affected child and is usually found on the face. Initially it is macular, but the surface may develop angiomatous overgrowths with time. Port-wine stains often occur in association with other congenital abnormalities.

porta
(por´tә) an entrance or gateway, especially the site where blood vessels and other supplying or draining structures enter an organ; called also portal. porta hepatis the transverse fissure on the visceral surface of the liver, where the portal vein and hepatic artery enter and...

portacaval
(por″tә-ka´vәl) pertaining to or connecting the portal vein and inferior vena cava.

portacaval shunt
a portosystemic shunt between the portal vein and the vena cava. Shunts diverting portal venous blood flow from the liver. (A),Portacaval shunt; (B), splenorenal shunt.

portal
(por´tәl) porta. pertaining to an entrance, especially the porta hepatis.

portal canal
a space within the Glisson capsule and liver substance, containing branches of the portal vein, of the hepatic artery, and of the hepatic duct.

portal circulation
the circulation of blood through larger vessels from the capillaries of one organ to those of another; see also portal system. specifically, the passage of blood from the gastrointestinal tract and spleen through the portal vein to the liver; called also hepatic portal circulation.

portal cirrhosis
Laënnec cirrhosis.

portal fissure
porta hepatis.

portal hypertension
abnormally increased pressure in the portal circulation due to narrowing of the capillary branches of the portal vessels. The result is impairment of the liver's ability to detoxify wastes and transport nutrients, resulting in hepatic encephalopathy, anorexia, and metabolic acidosis. The increased pressure can lead to escape of...

portal lobule
a polygonal mass of liver tissue containing portions of three adjacent hepatic lobules, and having a portal vein at its center and a central vein peripherally at each corner. Diagram of hepatic (solid lines) and portal (dotted lines) lobules, showing the portal areas (P) and central veins ...

portal system
an arrangement by which blood collected from one set of capillaries passes through a large vessel or vessels and another set of capillaries before returning to the systemic circulation, as in the pituitary gland (the hypothalamo-hypophysial portal system) or the liver (the hepatic portal circulation).

portal vein
a short thick trunk formed by union of the superior mesenteric and the splenic veins behind the neck of the pancreas; it passes upward to the right end of the porta hepatis, where it divides into successively smaller branches, following the branches of the hepatic artery, until it forms a capillarylike system of sinusoids...

portal-systemic encephalopathy
portasystemic encephalopathy hepatic encephalopathy.

Porter sign
tracheal tugging.

Porteus maze test
a performance test in which the subject is required to trace with a pencil through printed mazes of increasing difficulty.

portio
(por´she-o) Latin word meaning a part or division. portio vaginalis cervicis ectocervix.