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

contact granuloma
contact ulcer a benign lesion on the posterior part of a vocal fold, consisting of a pale to red mass; the cause may be voice overuse, irritation from a gastric or esophageal tube, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

contact lens
a corrective lens that fits directly over the cornea of the eye, for correction of refractive errors. It does not actually touch the surface of the eye, but floats on a thin layer of the fluid that naturally moistens the eyeball. There are two main types of contact lenses, hard and soft.

contact precautions
a group of transmission-based precautions used when caring for patients who have diseases that spread through direct skin to skin contact or through indirect contact with contaminated equipment.

contact surface
proximal surface.

contact tests
patch tests.

contact urticaria
a type of immune-mediated urticaria that is a form of allergic reaction after exposure to the causative substance. See also contact dermatitis.

contactant
(kәn-tak´tәnt) an allergen capable of inducing delayed contact-type hypersensitivity of the epidermis after one or more episodes of contact.

contagion
(kәn-ta´jәn) the spread of disease from one individual to another. a contagious disease.

contagious
(kәn-ta´jәs) communicable; capable of being transmitted from one individual to another.

contagious disease
communicable disease.

contained disk
protrusion of a nucleus pulposus in which the anulus fibrosus remains intact.

contaminant
(kәn-tam´ĭ-nәnt) something that causes contamination.

contamination
(kәn-tam″ĭ-na´shәn) the soiling or making inferior by contact or mixture, as by introduction of organisms into a wound. the deposition of radioactive material in any place where it is not desired, especially where its presence may be harmful or constitute a radiation hazard.

content
(kon´tent) that which is contained within a thing. latent content in freudian theory, the hidden and unconscious true meaning of a symbolic representation, such as a dream or fantasy, as opposed to the manifest content. manifest content in freudian theory, ...

contiguous gene syndrome
any syndrome known to be caused by the involvement of contiguous genes on a chromosome, e.g., aniridia–Wilms tumor association, which may also have genitourinary tract abnormalities, gonadoblastoma, and mental retardation; they are usually caused by chromosome deletions.

continence
(kon´tĭ-nәns) the ability to exercise voluntary control over natural impulses, such as the urge to defecate or urinate. adj., con´tinent., adj.

continued fever
continuous fever persistently elevated body temperature, showing no or little variation and never falling to normal during any 24-hour period.

continuing care
the level of care in a health care system that is provided on an ongoing basis to support persons who are physically or mentally handicapped, elderly and suffering from a chronic and incapacitating illness, mentally retarded, or otherwise unable to cope unassisted with daily living. It may be in a personal care home, domi...

continuity theory
a theory of motor development, saying that changes in these abilities happen in a linear fashion throughout a person's life and that each change is dependent on those of the previous period.

continuous amnesia
loss of memory for all events after a certain time, continuing up to and including the present.

continuous epidural analgesia
continuous injection of an anesthetic solution into the sacral and lumbar plexuses within the epidural space to relieve the pain of childbirth, in general surgery to block the pain pathways below the navel, or to relieve chronic unremitting pain.

continuous flow culture
the cultivation of bacteria in a continuous flow of fresh medium to maintain bacterial growth in logarithmic phase.

continuous incontinence
continuous urinary leakage from a source other than the urethra, such as a fistula.

continuous murmur
a humming heart murmur heard throughout systole and diastole.

continuous muscle activity syndrome
continuous muscle fiber activity syndrome Isaacs syndrome.

continuous phase
in a heterogeneous system, the component in which the disperse phase is distributed, corresponding to the solvent in a true solution. See also colloid.

continuous positive airway pressure
(CPAP) a method of positive pressure ventilation used with patients who are breathing spontaneously, done to keep the alveoli open at the end of exhalation and thus increase oxygenation and reduce the work of breathing. When the same principle is used in mechanical ventilation, it is called positive end-expiratory...

continuous sleep therapy
treatment of certain mental disorders by inducing prolonged sleep (18 to 20 hours a day for about two weeks) with drugs, usually barbiturates; it is no longer used in the United States.

continuous sounds
adventitious sounds that last longer than 0.2 sec; they include wheezes and rhonchi.

continuous suture
one using a continuous, uninterrupted length of material.

contra-aperture
(kon″trә-ap´әr-chәr) a second opening, such as one made in an abscess to facilitate the discharge of its contents or one made to facilitate arthroscopic repair of a joint. Called also counteropening.

contraception
(kon″trә-sep´shәn) prevention of conception or impregnation. The most common means of doing this include oral contraceptives, barrier contraceptives, spermicides such as jellies, creams, or foams, and natural family planning.

contraceptive
(kon″trә-sep´tiv) diminishing the likelihood of or preventing conception. an agent that does this; see also contraception.

contract
(kәn-trakt´) to reduce in size or shorten. in muscle physiology, to become activated and generate force; such a process does not necessarily result in the shortening of the muscle. to acquire or incur.

contracted pelvis
one showing a decrease of 1.5 to 2 cm in an important diameter; when all dimensions are proportionately diminished, it is a generally contracted pelvis.

contractile
(kәn-trak´tīl) having the power or tendency to contract in response to a suitable stimulus.

contractile fiber cells
the spindle-shaped and nucleated cells which, collected into bundles, make up unstriated or smooth muscle.

contractility
(kon″trak-til´ĭ-te) a capacity for contracting in response to suitable stimulus.

contraction
(kәn-trak´shәn) a drawing together; a shortening or shrinkage.

contraction stress test
observation of the fetal heart rate in response to uterine contractions; see also fetal monitoring.

contraction wave
the wave of progression of the contraction in a muscle from the point of stimulation; also the graphic representation of a contracting muscle.

contracture
(kәn-trak´chәr) abnormal shortening of muscle tissue, rendering the muscle highly resistant to stretching; this can lead to permanent disability. It can be caused by fibrosis of the tissues supporting the muscle or the joint, or by disorders of the muscle fibers themselves. This can be the result of improper...

contrafissure
(kon″trә-fish´әr) a fracture in a part opposite the site of the blow.

contraindication
(kon″trә-in″dĭ-ka´shәn) any condition that renders a particular line of treatment improper or undesirable.

contralateral
(kon″trә-lat´әr-әl) pertaining to, situated on, or affecting the opposite side.

contralateral sign
Brudzinski sign (def. 2).

contrasexual
(kon″trә-sek´shoo-әl) in psychiatry, said of the personality traits that most people repress because they are characteristic of the opposite sex. having secondary sex characters appropriate to the opposite sex. Called also heterosexual.

contrast agent
contrast medium a radiopaque substance used in radiography to permit visualization of body structures. Called also contrast agent.

contrasuppressor cells
cells that augment the immune response by suppressing the activity of other suppressor cells, or by rendering the reactive cell unresponsive to suppression.

contrecoup
(kōn″trә-koo´) denoting an injury, as to the brain, occurring at a site opposite to the point of impact.

control
(kәn-trōl´) the governing or limitation of certain objects, events, or physical responses. a standard against which experimental observations may be evaluated, as a procedure identical to the experimental procedure except for the absence of the one factor being studied. conscious r...

control group
see control (def. 3).

control mode
controlled mode a mode of positive pressure ventilation in which the ventilator controls the initiation and volume of breaths. See also assist mode and assist-control mode.

controlled drug delivery
a system used in dentistry that delivers an antimicrobial agent to the target site and maintains the desired concentration for enough time without development of resistant bacteria.

controlled substance
a psychoactive substance that is regulated in the United States under the Controlled Substances Act. See also drug abuse and drug dependence.

Controlled Substances Act
a federal law that regulates the prescribing and dispensing of psychoactive drugs, including opioids, hallucinogens, depressants, and stimulants.

controlled ventilation
control mode ventilation positive pressure ventilation in which the ventilator is in control mode, with its cycle entirely controlled by the apparatus and not influenced by the patient's efforts at spontaneous ventilation.

contuse
(kәn-tldbomacz´) to bruise; to injure without breaking the skin.

contused wound
one in which the skin is unbroken.

contusion
(kәn-too´zhәn) injury to tissues with skin discoloration and without breakage of skin; blood from the broken vessels accumulates in surrounding tissues to produce pain, swelling, and tenderness. The discoloration is the result of blood seepage just under the skin. Called also bruise. ...

contusion cataract
one due to shock or to injury of the eyeball.

contusion pneumonia
pneumonia following an injury to the thorax; called also traumatic pneumonia.

conus
(ko´nәs) pl. co´ni Latin word meaning cone, or a cone-shaped structure. posterior staphyloma of the myopic eye. conus arteriosus the anterosuperior portion of the right ventricle of the heart, at the entrance to the pulmonary trunk. Called also infundibulum. ...

conus ligament
a collagenous band connecting the posterior surface of the pulmonary annulus and the muscular infundibulum to the root of the aorta.

convalescence
(kon″vә-les´әns) the stage of recovery from an illness, operation, or injury.

convalescent
(kon″vә-les´әnt) pertaining to or characterized by convalescence. a patient who is recovering from a disease, operation, or injury.

convection
(kәn-vek´shәn) the act of conveying or transmission; specifically, transmission of heat in a liquid or gas by the bulk movement of heated particles to a cooler area. See also convection current.

convection current
a current caused by movement by convection of warmer fluid into an area of cooler fluid.

convenience point
a small depression at the edge of the floor of the prepared cavity, placed there to retain the first piece of direct filling gold during the process of compaction.

convenience sample
a type of nonprobability sample in which the population selected is easily accessible to the researcher; available subjects are simply entered into the study without any attempt at randomization. Called also accidental sample.

convergence
(kәn-vur´jәns) the coordinated inclination of the two lines of sight towards their common point of fixation, or the point itself.

convergency reflex
convergence of the visual axes with fixation on a near point.

convergent strabismus
esotropia.

converging lens
convex lens one curved like the exterior of a hollow sphere; it brings light to a focus.

conversion
(kәn-vur´zhәn) the act of changing into something of different form or properties. a type of defense mechanism by which a person has anxiety from an unconscious internal conflict, and that becomes changed to be expressed in a symbolic physical symptom such as pain, paralysis, loss of sight, or ...

conversion disorder
conversion reaction a somatoform disorder characterized by symptoms or deficits affecting voluntary motor or sensory functioning and suggesting physical illness but produced by conversion. A person's anxiety is “converted” into any of a variety of somatic symptoms such as blindness, deafness, or paralysis, none of wh...

convertase
(kәn-vur´tās) an enzyme of the complement system that activates specific components of the system.

convex
(kon-veks´) having a rounded, somewhat elevated surface.

convexoconcave lens
one that has one convex and one concave face.

convoluted T-cell lymphoma
lymphoblastic lymphoma with markedly convoluted nuclei.

convoluted tubule
a part of a renal or seminiferous tubule that follows a relatively convoluted course.

convolution
(kon″vo-loo´shәn) a tortuous irregularity or elevation caused by the infolding of a structure upon itself.

convulsion
(kәn-vul´shәn) a type of seizure consisting of a series of involuntary contractions of the voluntary muscles. Besides those occurring in epilepsy, convulsions can also be caused by chemical or hormonal imbalances in the blood; metabolic disturbances; injury to the brain such as from head injury, a tumor, or ...

convulsive
(kәn-vul´siv) pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a convulsion.

convulsive reflex
one in which several muscles contract convulsively without coordination.

convulsive therapy
treatment of mental disorders, primarily depression, by induction of convulsions. The type almost universally used now is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), in which the convulsions are induced by electric current. In the past, drugs were sometimes used.

Conway mammaplasty
Conway operation a type of reduction mammaplasty for correction of severe macromastia, consisting in partial breast amputation and free transplantation of the nipples and areolae.

Cook catheter
a flexible catheter sometimes used in place of the Tenckhoff catheter in peritoneal dialysis.

Cooley anemia
(koo´le) Cooley disease thalassemia major.

Coombs test
(kldbomacmz) any of a number of tests used to determine the presence or absence of immunoglobulin and complement in the coating of erythrocytes; these tests can be used to differentiate between various types of hemolytic anemias, to determine minor blood types including the Rh factor, and to test for anticipated erythroblasto...

Cooper hernia
a femoral hernia with additional tracts into the scrotum or toward the labium majus, and toward the obturator foramen. Called also Hey hernia.

Cooper ligament
(koo´pәr) pectineal ligament.

Cooper ligament operation
(koo´pәr) Cooper ligament repair McVay repair.

Coopernail sign
ecchymosis on the perineum and scrotum or labia: a sign of fracture of the pelvis.

coordinate covalent bond
a covalent bond in which one of the bonded atoms furnishes both of the shared electrons.

coordinated reflex
one in which several muscles react so as to produce an orderly and useful movement.

coordination
(ko-or″dĭ-na´shәn) the harmonious functioning of interrelated organs and parts. the process of the motor apparatus of the brain that provides for the coworking of particular groups of muscles for the performance of definite adaptive useful responses.

COPD
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Cope loop catheter
a type of nephrostomy catheter with a loop at the end to hold it in place.

Cope sign
psoas sign.