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

creeping disease
creeping eruption. the cutaneous symptoms of gnathostomiasis.

cremaster muscle
origin, lower edge of internal oblique muscle of abdomen; insertion, pubic tubercle; innervation, genital branch of genitofemoral nerve; action, elevates testis.

cremasteric
(krem″as-ter´ik) pertaining to the cremaster muscle.

cremasteric artery
origin, inferior epigastric artery; branches, none; distribution, cremaster muscle, coverings of spermatic cord.

cremasteric reflex
contraction of the ipsilateral cremaster muscle, drawing the testis upward, when the upper inner aspect of the thigh is stroked longitudinally.

crenated
(kre´nāt-әd) scalloped or notched.

crenation
(kre-na´shәn) the formation of abnormal notching around the edge of an erythrocyte (burr cell). the notched appearance of an erythrocyte due to its shrinkage after suspension in a hypertonic solution. Crenated erythocytes.

crenocyte
(kre´no-sīt) burr cell.

creosol
(kre´o-sol) one of the active constituents of creosote.

creosote
(kre´o-sōt) an oily liquid obtained by distillation from coal tar, wood tar, or the resin from the creosote bush. coal tar creosote that obtained by high temperature carbonization of bituminous coal; it is a brown to black, oily liquid, a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons, ta...

crepitant
(krep´ĭ-tәnt) having a dry, crackling sound.

crepitant rale
a fine sound like that of rubbing a hair between the fingers or by particles of salt thrown on fire; heard at the end of inhalation. Called also crepitus.

crepitation
(krep″ĭ-ta´shәn) a dry, crackling sound or sensation; see crepitant rale. a sound like that produced by the grating of the ends of a fractured bone.

crepitus
(krep´ĭ-tәs) the discharge of flatus from the bowels. crepitation. crepitant rale.

crescendo murmur
one marked by progressively increasing loudness that suddenly ceases.

crescent
(kres´әnt) shaped like a new moon. something with this shape. adj., crescen´tic., adj. Giannuzzi crescents crescent-shaped patches of serous cells surrounding the mucous tubercles in mixed glands. sublingual crescent the crescen...

crescent cells
Giannuzzi crescents.

crescent sign
meniscus sign.

cresol
(kre´sol) a liquid from coal or wood tar; a mixture of isomeric cresol from coal tar or petroleum is used as a disinfectant and in making synthetic resins. Acute poisoning may result in rapid circulatory collapse; chronic poisoning may produce gastrointestinal symptoms, vertigo, skin rashes, jaundice, and uremia.

crest
(krest) a projection, or projecting structure or ridge, especially one surmounting a bone or its border.

CREST syndrome
one of the less severe forms of systemic scleroderma, consisting of calcinosis of the skin, Raynaud phenomenon, esophageal dysfunction, sclerodactyly, and telangiectasia. When esophageal dysfunction is not prominent, it is known as CRST syndrome.

cretinism
(kre´tin-iz-әm) arrested physical and mental development with dystrophy of bones and soft tissues, due to congenital lack of thyroid gland secretion from decreased function or absence of the gland. An affected child has a large head, short limbs, puffy eyes, coarse hair, a round abdomen, a thick and protruding ton...

cretinoid
(kre´tin-oid) resembling or suggestive of cretinism.

cretinoid dysplasia
the abnormal development characteristic of cretinism, consisting of dwarfism, retarded ossification, and immaturity of the internal and sex organs.

cretinous
(kre´tin-әs) affected with cretinism.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
(kroits´felt yah´kōp) a rare prion disease, associated with a number of different mutations of the prion protein gene. There are sporadic, infectious, and familial forms, the last inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, with onset usually in middle life, and a wide variety of clinical and pathological features. T...

crevice
(krev´is) fissure (def. 1). gingival crevice the space between the cervical enamel of a tooth and the overlying unattached gingiva.

crevicular fluid
gingival fluid.

cri du chat syndrome
(kre doo shah´) a hereditary congenital syndrome characterized by a wide space between the eyes, microcephaly, severe mental deficiency, and a plaintive catlike cry caused by laryngeal abnormalities, due to deletion of part of the short arm of chromosome 5.

cribriform
(krib´rĭ-form) perforated like a sieve.

cribriform bone
ethmoid bone.

cribriform carcinoma
adenoid cystic c. an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lactiferous ducts, one of the subtypes of ductal carcinoma in situ.

Crichton-Browne sign
tremor of the outer angles of the eyes and of the labial commissures in the earlier stages of general paresis.

cricoarytenoid
(kri″ko-ahr″ĭ-te´noid) pertaining to the cricoid and arytenoid cartilages.

cricoarytenoid arthritis
inflammation of the cricoarytenoid joint in rheumatoid arthritis; it may cause laryngeal dysfunction and rarely stridor.

cricoid
(kri´koid) ring-shaped. the cricoid cartilage.

cricoid cartilage
a ringlike cartilage forming the lower and back part of the larynx.

cricoidectomy
(kri″koi-dek´tә-me) excision of the cricoid cartilage.

cricopharyngeal
(kri″ko-fә-rin´je-әl) pertaining to the cricoid cartilage and pharynx.

cricopharyngeal achalasia syndrome
Asherson syndrome.

cricopharyngeus muscle
the part of the inferior constrictor muscle of the pharynx arising from the cricoid cartilage.

cricothyroid
(kri-ko-thi´roid) pertaining to the cricoid and thyroid cartilages.

cricothyroid muscle
one of the intrinsic muscles of the larynx; origin, front and side of cricoid cartilage; insertion, lamina of thyroid cartilage; innervation, external branch of superior laryngeal nerve; action, tenses vocal folds.

cricothyrotomy
(kri″ko-thi-rot´ә-me) incision through the skin and cricothyroid membrane to secure a patent airway for emergency relief of upper airway obstruction. Called also intercricothyrotomy.

cricotomy
(kri-kot´ә-me) incision of the cricoid cartilage.

cricotracheotomy
(kri″ko-tra″ke-ot´ә-me) incision of the trachea through the cricoid cartilage.

Crigler-Najjar syndrome
(krig´lәr nah´jahr) a congenital hereditary non-hemolytic jaundice due to absence of the hepatic enzyme glucuronide transferase, marked by excessive amounts of unconjugated bilirubin in the blood, kernicterus, and severe central nervous system disorders.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
(kri-me´әn kong´go) a sometimes fatal type of hemorrhagic fever caused by a bunyavirus, transmitted by ticks and by contact with blood, secretions, or fluids from infected animals or humans; it occurs from southern Russia across Central Asia, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa.

criminal psychology
the study of the mentality, the motivation, and the social behavior of criminals.

crisis
(kri´sis) pl. cri´ses the turning point of a disease for better or worse; especially a sudden change, usually for the better, in the course of an acute disease. a sudden paroxysmal intensification of symptoms in the course of a disease.

crista
(kris´tә) pl. cris´tae Latin word meaning crest. cristae cutis dermal ridges. crista galli a thick, triangular process projecting upward from the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone.

critical care
intensive care.

critical care unit
intensive care unit.

critical point
the point of coincidence of the gas and liquid phases, at which the temperature is the critical temperature and the pressure is the critical pressure, and the substance exists as a single phase.

critical temperature
that below which a gas may be converted to a liquid by increased pressure.

CRNA
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Crohn colitis
Crohn disease (krōn) inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, usually the terminal part of the ileum. Because it has many similarities to ulcerative colitis, the two conditions are sometimes considered as different manifestations of one disease called inflammatory bowel disease. Like ulcerative colitis, Crohn ...

cromolyn
(kro´mә-lin) a drug that inhibits basophils and mast cells from releasing chemical mediators of immediate sensitivity. It is used as the salt cromolyn sodium,, administered by inhalation or intranasally for prophylaxis and treatment of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis, orally for treatment of mastocytosis, and top...

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome
(krong´kīt kan´ә-dә) familial polyposis of the gastrointestinal tract associated with alopecia, nail dystrophy, and hyperpigmentation of the skin.

Crooke cells
the pituitary corticotrophs seen in Crooke hyalinization.

cross
(kros) any figure or structure in the shape of a cross. the production of progeny containing genetic information from two or more parents, such as by mating between genetically different individuals. the progeny derived from two or more parents of different genetic backgrounds. ...

cross agglutination
the agglutination of particulate antigen by an antibody raised against a different but related antigen; see also group agglutination.

cross infection
infection transmitted between patients infected with different microorganisms.

cross reaction
(kros´ re-ak´shun) an interaction between an antibody and an antigen closely related to the antigen that specifically stimulated synthesis of the antibody.

cross reactivity
(kros″ re-ak-tiv´ĭ-te) the degree to which an antibody or antigen participates in cross reactions.

Cross syndrome
(kros) Cross-McKusick-Breen syndrome an autosomal recessive syndrome marked by cutaneous hypopigmentation, microphthalmus, small opaque corneas, gingival hypertrophy, and cerebral defect manifested by spasticity, mental and physical retardation, and athetoid movements. Called also oculocerebral-hypopigmentation syndrome.

cross-dressing
(kros´dres-ing) the wearing of clothing specific to or characteristic of the opposite sex.

cross-hatched grid
two linear grids that are superimposed at right angles to each other, used for maximal cleanup of scatter.

cross-link
(kros´link″) a bond formed between polymer chains, either between different chains or between different parts of the same chain.

cross-reacting antibody
one that combines with an antigen other than the one that induced its production.

cross-resistance
(kros″re-zis´tәns) multidrug resistance.

cross-sectional study
one that uses a single point of data collection for each participant or system being studied. It is used for examining phenomena expected to remain the same through the period of interest. It contrasts with a longitudinal s.

cross-tolerance
(kros´tol″әr-әns) extension of the tolerance for a substance to others of the same class, even those to which the body has not been exposed previously.

crossbite
(kros´bīt″) malocclusion in which the mandibular teeth are in buccal version (or completely lingual version in posterior segments) to the maxillary teeth. anterior crossbite that in which one or more primary or permanent maxillary incisors are lingual to the mandibular in...

crossbreeding
(kros´brēd-ing) outbreeding.

crossed adductor reflex
adduction of one lower limb when an attempt is made to elicit the quadriceps jerk on the opposite side.

crossed anesthesia
loss of sensation on one side of the face and loss of pain and temperature sense on the opposite side of the body.

crossed diplopia
horizontal diplopia in which the image belonging to the right eye is displaced to the left of the image belonging to the left eye (divergent strabismus).

crossed extension reflex
reflex extension of a limb or body part in response to a flexion reflex in the contralateral part.

crossed eyes
esotropia.

crossed leg palsy
palsy of peroneal nerves caused by sitting with one leg crossed over the other.

crossed paralysis
paralysis affecting one side of the face and the other side of the body.

crossed reflex
a response on the side of the body opposite to the side being stimulated, such as the consensual light reflex or the crossed adductor reflex.

crossing over
(kros´ing o´vәr) the reciprocal exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes, resulting in recombination; often specifically denoting exchange between nonsister chromatids of paired homologous chromosomes during the first meiotic division.

crossmatching
(kros´mach″ing) a procedure vital in blood transfusions and organ transplantation. The recipient's erythrocytes or leukocytes are incubated with the donor's serum and vice versa. Various testing procedures are then performed to ensure that the donor and recipient have blood group compatibility or histocompatibilit...

crossover
(kros´o-vәr) the result of the reciprocal exchange of genetic material between chromosomes; see crossing over.

crosstalk
(kros´tawk) in cardiology, inappropriate detection of the atrial stimulus by the ventricular sensing mechanism, usually seen with dual chamber pacemakers; it can lead to asystole. Pacemakers are now able to respond to crosstalk with an obligatory ventricular pacing stimulus at a shorter than average A-V interval.

crotalid
(kro´tә-lid) pit viper.

Crotalus
(kro´tә-lәs) a large genus of venomous rattlesnakes with numerous species in North America and others in Central and South America. See also snakebite.

crotamiton
(kro″tә-mi´ton) an antiparasitic used in the treatment of scabies; also used to relieve itching.

croton oil
the thick, fixed oil of the seeds of the plant Croton tiglium; it is a drastic purgative and counterirritant, unsafe for human use, and is used as a standard irritant in pharmacological research.

croup
(krldbomacp) a condition resulting from acute partial obstruction of the upper airway, seen mainly in infants and young children; characteristics include resonant barking cough, hoarseness, and persistent stridor. It may be caused by a viral infection (usually a parainfluenzavirus), a bacterial infection (usually ...

croup-associated virus
human parainfluenza viruses 1 and 2.

Crouzon disease
(kroo-zon´) craniofacial dysostosis.

Crow-Fukase syndrome
(kro´ foo-kah´se) POEMS syndrome.

Crowe sign
axillary freckling seen in neurofibromatosis.

crown
(kroun) the topmost part of an organ or structure, such as a tooth or the head. artificial crown. anatomical crown the upper, enamel-covered part of a tooth. Anatomical and clinical crowns, demonstrating that the former are ...

crown-root fracture
an oblique tooth fracture involving the crown and the adjacent distal part of the root.

crowning
(kroun´ing) the appearance of the fetal scalp at the vaginal orifice in childbirth.

CRP
C-reactive protein.