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

crystalloid
(kris´tә-loid) resembling a crystal. a substance whose particles are smaller than those of a colloid, form a true solution, and are therefore capable of passing through a semipermeable membrane, as in dialysis. The physical opposite of a crystalloid is a colloid, which does not dissolve and does not form t...

crystalluria
(kris″tәl-u´re-ә) the excretion of crystals in the urine, causing irritation of the kidney.

Crystodigin
(kris″to-dij´in) trademark for preparations of crystalline digitoxin, a glycoside used in treatment of congestive heart failure.

CS
completed stroke (see stroke syndrome); o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile. o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, a commonly used tear gas.

Cs
cesium.

CSF
cerebrospinal fluid; colony-stimulating factor.

CSM
cerebrospinal meningitis.

CT
computed tomography.

CT number
the attenuation value determined for each pixel in a CT scan on a scale in which water is 0, compact bone +1000, and air −1000. See Hounsfield unit.

CT scan
computerized axial tomography, or the image obtained from it.

Cu
copper (L. cu´prum).

cubital
(ku´bĭ-tәl) pertaining to the elbow.

cubital nerve
ulnar nerve.

cubital tunnel syndrome
a complex of symptoms resulting from injury or compression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow, with pain and numbness along the ulnar aspect of the hand and forearm, and weakness of the hand.

cubitus
(ku´bĭ-tәs) elbow. adj., cu´bital., adj. cubitus valgus deformity of the elbow in which the forearm deviates away from the midline of the body when extended. cubitus varus deformity of the elbow in which the forearm deviates toward the m...

cuboid
(ku´boid) resembling a cube; applied particularly to a bone of the foot (cuboid bone).

cuboid bone
a tarsal bone on the lateral side of the foot, between the calcaneus and the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones.

cuboidal cell
an epithelial cell whose transverse and vertical diameters are approximately equal.

cuboidal epithelium
epithelium composed of cuboidal cells (which appear square in transverse section).

cuboidodigital reflex
Mendel-Bekhterev reflex.

cueing
(ku´ing) assisting an individual in the completion of a task by offering prompts.

cuffing
(kuf´ing) formation of a cufflike surrounding border, as of leukocytes around a blood vessel, observed especially in viral infections. Called also perivascular cuffing.

Cuignet test
(for simulated unilateral blindness) the bar-reading test used to detect simulated unilateral blindness or malingering.

cuirass
(kwe-rahs´) a covering for the chest.

cul-de-sac
(kul″dә-sak´) a pouch or tubular cavity closed at one end; called also caecum. conjunctival cul-de-sac the fold formed by the junction of the palpebral and the ocular conjunctiva; called also fornix of conjunctiva. Douglas cul-de-sac a sac or re...

culdocentesis
(kul″do-sen-te´sis) transvaginal puncture of the Douglas cul-de-sac for aspiration of fluid.

culdoscope
(kul´do-skōp) an endoscope used in culdoscopy.

culdoscopic sterilization
an older method of sterilization of a female using an endoscope to visualize the fallopian tubes and ovaries; the endoscope is inserted through an incision in the posterior part of the cervix to locate the fallopian tubes, which are then drawn out through the vaginal incision and severed.

culdoscopy
(kәl-dos´kә-pe) direct visual examination of the female viscera through an endoscope introduced into the pelvic cavity through the posterior vaginal fornix.

Culex
(ku´lәks) a genus of mosquitoes found throughout the world; many species transmit disease-producing agents such as microfilariae, sporozoa, or viruses.

culicide
(ku´lĭ-sīd) an agent that destroys mosquitoes.

culicifuge
(ku-lis´ĭ-fūj) an agent that repels culicine mosquitoes.

culicine
(ku´lĭ-sin) (ku´lĭ-sīn) any member of the genus Culex or related genera. pertaining to, involving, or affecting mosquitoes of the genus Culex or related species.

Cullen sign
(kul´әn) bluish discoloration around the umbilicus sometimes occurring in intraperitoneal hemorrhage, especially following rupture of the fallopian tube in ectopic pregnancy. A similar discoloration is seen in acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis.

culmen
(kul´mәn) pl. cul´mina acme or summit. culmen cerebelli. culmen cerebelli , culmen of cerebellum the portion of the rostral lobe of the cerebellum that lies medially between the central lobule and the primary fissure.

cultivation
(kul″tĭ-va´shәn) the propagation of living organisms, applied especially to the growth of microorganisms or other cells in artificial media.

culture
(kul´chәr) the propagation of microorganisms or of living tissue cells in special media conducive to their growth. to induce such propagation. the product of such propagation.

culture medium
a substance or preparation used to support the growth of microorganisms or other cells; called also medium.

culture-specific syndrome
folk illnesses that are unique to a particular culture or geographical area. Each illness has a cluster of symptoms, signs, and behavioral changes that are recognized by members of the culture; usually, they also have a range of symbolic meanings and culturally agreed-upon treatments. Anorexia nervosa and Type A behavior ...

cumulative effect
the action of a drug or treatment resulting from repeated use.

cumulative incidence rate
the proportion of an initially disease-free population developing a disease over a fixed interval, calculated by cumulating the proportions developing the disease within short subintervals.

cumulus
(ku´mu-lәs) pl. cu´muli Latin word meaning small elevation. cumulus oophorus a mass of follicular cells surrounding the oocyte in the vesicular ovarian follicle.

cuneate
(ku´ne-āt) wedge-shaped.

cuneiform
(ku-ne´ĭ-form) wedge-shaped; applied particularly to three of the tarsal bones of the foot (cuneiform bones).

cuneiform bones
three wedge-shaped tarsal bones, forming part of region of the tarsus farthest from the heel and closest to the toes, and located medial to the cuboid and between the navicular and the first three metatarsal bones. intermediate cuneiform bone the middle and smallest of the three cuneiform b...

cuneiform cartilage
either of a pair of cartilages that border the aryepiglottic fold posteriorly.

cuneiform cataract
cortical cataract (def. 2).

cuneiform osteotomy
removal of a wedge of bone.

cuneus
(ku´ne-әs) pl. cu´nei Latin word meaning wedge.. In anatomy, it is used for a wedge-shaped lobule on the medial aspect of the occipital lobe of the cerebrum.

cuniculus
(ku-nik´u-lәs) pl. cuni´culi Latin word meaning tunnel. a burrow in the skin made by the itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei.

cunnilingus
(kun″ĭ-ling´әs) oral stimulation of the female genitals.

Cunninghamella
(kun″ing-ham-el´ә) a genus of fungi. C. berthole´tiae causes opportunisticmucormycosis of the lung in immunocompromised or debilitated patients.

cup
(kup) a depression or hollow. glaucomatous cup a depression of the optic disk due to persistently increased intraocular pressure, broader and deeper than a physiologic cup, and occurring first at the temporal side of the disk. optic cup an indentat...

cupola
(koo´pә-lә) cupula.

cupped disk
a pathologically depressed optic disk.

cupping
(kup´ing) the formation of a cup-shaped depression. percussion (def. 2). the application of a small glass or bamboo cup to the skin, after inducing a vacuum in the cup, creating suction and drawing blood and lymph to the surface of the the body and increasing local circulation. It is used in ...

cupric
(koo´prik) pertaining to or containing divalent copper. cupric sulfate a crystalline salt of copper used as an emetic, astringent, and fungicide, as an oral antidote to phosphorus poisoning, as a topical treatment of cutaneous phosphorus burns, and as a catalyst in iron deficienc...

cupriuria
(koo″pre-u´re-ә) hypercupriuria.

cuprous
(koo´prәs) pertaining to or containing monovalent copper.

cupruresis
(koo″proo-re´sis) hypercupriuria.

cupula
(koo´pu-lә) pl. cu´pulae a small, inverted cup or dome-shaped cap over a structure.

cupular space
the part of the attic above the malleus.

cupuliform cataract
a posterior subcapsular cortical opacity seen as brown, saucer-shaped granules or cysts. It is centrally located and therefore seriously impairs vision very quickly. Cupuliform cataracts occur between the ages of 60 and 80, but earlier appearance may be an inherited trait.

cupulolithiasis
(ku″pu-lo-lĭ-thi´ә-sis) the presence of calculi in the cupula of the posterior semicircular duct.

curare
(koo-rah´re) any of a wide variety of highly toxic extracts from various botanical sources, including various species of Strychnos, a genus of tropical trees; used originally as arrow poisons in South America. A form extracted from the shrub Chondodendron tomentosum has been used as a skeletal muscle relaxant.

curarization
(koo″rah-rĭ-za´shәn) administration of curare (usually in the form of tubocurarine) to induce muscle relaxation.

curative dose
(CD) one sufficient to restore normal health; see also median curative dose.

curb cut
(kerb kut) a portion of the curb that is removed so that the sidewalk gently slopes to the street, thus increasing access to the environment for individuals in wheelchairs.

cure
(kūr) the course of treatment of any disease, or of a special case. the successful treatment of a disease or wound. a system of treating diseases. a medicine effective in treating a disease.

curet
(ku-ret´) curette.

curettage
(ku″rә-tahzh´) removal of material from the wall of a cavity or other surface by scraping with a curette. suction curettage , vacuum curettage a method of induced abortion, consisting of removal of the uterine contents, after dilatation, by means of a hollow c...

curette
(ku-ret´) a loop, ring, or spoon-shaped instrument, attached to a handle and having sharp or blunt edges; used to scrape tissue from a surface. to remove growths or other material from the wall of a cavity or other surface, using a curette.

curettement
(ku-ret´ment) curettage.

curie
(Ci) (ku´re) a unit of radioactivity, defined as the quantity of any radioactive nuclide in which the number of disintegrations per second is 3.700 × 1010.

curie-hour
(kūr´e our´) a unit of dose equivalent to that obtained by exposure for one hour to radioactive material disintegrating at the rate of 3.7 × 1010 atoms per second.

curium
(Cm) (kūr´e-әm) a chemical element, atomic number 96, atomic weight 247.

Curling ulcer
a duodenal ulcer associated with a lesion on the surface of the body, such as a burn.

Currarino-Silverman syndrome
(kur″ә-re´no sil´vәr-mәn) premature obliteration of the sternal sutures with synostosis as well as a protruding manubrium, causing pectus carinatum; other abnormalities may also be present such as hyperostosis of ribs or hypotrophy of the anterior diaphragm. Called also Silverman syndrome.

current
(kur´әnt) something that flows. electric current.

current of injury
an electric current that flows between injured myocardium and normal myocardium, because such cells have a reduced membrane potential; it may be either diastolic or systolic.

Curschmann spirals
coiled fibrils of mucin sometimes found in the sputum of patients with asthma. See also Laënnec pearls.

Curschmann-Batten-Steinert syndrome
(koorsh´mahn bat´әn shti´nәrt) myotonic dystrophy.

Curtius syndrome
(koor´te-us) hypertrophy of one side of the entire body or a portion of one side of the body, as of the face; called also hemihypertrophy.

curvature
(kur´vә-chәr″) a nonangular deviation from a normally straight course.

curve
(kurv) a line that is not straight, or that describes part of a circle, especially a line representing varying values in a graph.

curve of occlusion
the curve of a dentition on which the occlusal surfaces lie.

Curvularia
(kur″vu-lar´e-ә) a genus of imperfect fungi commonly found in soil and elsewhere; C. luna´ta is found in human mycetomas.

Cushing disease
(koosh´ing) Cushing syndrome in which the hyperadrenocorticism is secondary to excessive pituitary excretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone.

Cushing phenomenon
a rise in systemic blood pressure as a result of an increase in intracranial pressure.

Cushing suture
a type of continuous inverting suture used for closing the seromuscular layers in surgery of the gastrointestinal tract.

Cushing syndrome
(koosh´ing) a group of symptoms produced by an excess of free circulating cortisol from the adrenal cortex. This may be the result of: (1) excessive secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary gland; (2) a tumor of the adrenal cortex that causes excessive secretion of glucocorticoids; (3) ectopic produc...

Cushing triad
decreased pulse, increased blood pressure, and a widening pulse pressure associated with increased intracranial pressure; it is a late clinical sign and may indicate brainstem herniation.

Cushing ulcer
Cushing-Rokitansky ulcer a small peptic ulcer, usually occurring in groups, associated with manifest or occult lesions of the central nervous system. Called also Rokitansky-Cushing ulcer.

cushingoid
(koosh´ing-oid) resembling the features, symptoms, and signs associated with Cushing syndrome.

cushion
(koosh´әn) a fleshy, padlike anatomical structure. endocardial cushions swellings that form on the dorsal and ventral walls of the atrioventricular canal of the embryonic heart during the fourth week of gestation. As they are invaded by mesenchymal cells during the fifth we...

cusp
(kusp) a pointed or rounded projection, such as on the crown of a tooth, or a segment of a cardiac valve. Cusps of the tricuspid valve. semilunar cusp any of the semilunar segments of the aortic valve (having posterior, right, and left cusps) or the ...

cuspid
(kus´pid) having a cusp. canine tooth. canine (def. 3).

cuspid tooth
canine tooth.

cuspis
(kus´pis) pl. cus´pides Latin word meaning cusp.

cuspless tooth
any tooth that does not have a cusp; particularly an artificial tooth designed without cuspal prominences on the occlusal surface.