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Buzzle - Medical terms Category: Health and Medicine > Medical Terms Date & country: 27/09/2013, USA Words: 440

Vasodilator
A medication that is used to expand or dilate blood vessels.

Velocardiofacial Syndrome
A genetic condition which is characterized by heart defects, cleft palate, a distinctive facial appearance, feeding and speech problems, and minor problems in the ability to learn. The name has been derived from the Latin terms velum, which means palate, cardia, meaning the heart, and facies, which refers to the face.

Valgus Deformity
This is a condition wherein the distal portion of a joint or bone is angled outward.

Valvoplasty
The reparation of the heart valve through surgery.

Varices
Abnormally twisted or enlarged blood vessel, like those that are formed in the esophagus due to cirrhosis.

Varus Deformity
This is a condition wherein the distal portion of a joint or bone is angled inward.

Vasodepressors
A drug that increases the blood pressure.

Urinary Retention
The inability of emptying the bladder.

Usher's Syndrome
A hereditary condition which causes deafness and blindness. A person afflicted with this condition essentially loses his/her peripheral vision progressively, usually starting with night blindness, which is also accompanied by congenital loss of hearing.

Vagotomy
A surgical procedure used for cutting the vagus nerve so that the stomach produces less acid.

Upper Limb Tension (ULTT)
A test used for assessing pain.

Urea Breath Test
A test used for detecting infection caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacterium. Breath samples are measured for the presence of urease, which is an enzyme that is produced by the H. pylori.

Urge Incontinence
Urinary incontinence caused by the involuntary contractions of the bladder, which results in an urgent requirement for urination, and is usually accompanied by sudden evacuation of urine. This condition usually develops due to aging.

Ultraviolet Radiation
Invisible rays that emanate from the sun. Exposure to UV rays can result in damaging the skin and even lead to melanoma and other kinds of skin cancer.

Upper GI Endoscopy
The internal examination of the stomach, esophagus, and duodenum with the help of an endoscope.

Ubidecarenone
Also referred to as Coenzyme Q10, this is a compound that is required for an enzyme to function properly, which is a protein which quickens the rate at which chemical reactions occur in the body. It is used for producing energy in order to fuel the growth of cells and their maintenance.

Ulcer
A lesion that forms on the skin or the mucous membrane, like the lining of the stomach or the duodenum, which can become suppurated and lead to the necrosis of the tissue surrounding it.

Ulocarcinoma
A cancer which affects the gums, usually associated with using chewing tobacco.

Tinnitus (Ringing Ear)
A ringing, booming or buzzing sensation in the ears, which is usually a symptom of an infection of the ear, or the development of an impairment of hearing, or M

Thyroplasty
Also referred to a Laryngeal Framework Surgery, it is a surgical method used for improving the voice by making alterations to the larynx's cartilages.

Thyroxine (T4)
This is a hormone that the thyroid gland secretes for regulating the metabolism.

Thrombosis
A condition wherein a blood clot forms in the heart or in a blood vessel.

Thrombolytic Drugs
The medications that are used for breaking down blood clots.

Thrombolysis
The process wherein blood clots are dissolved or broken down.

Thoracotomy
A surgical incision made in the wall of the chest in order to open up the pleural cavity. It is useful for viewing the lung, to confirm cancer, or to find out the source of bleeding in the event of trauma to the chest.

Thomas's Test
An examination for detecting whether a patient has fixed hip deformity.

Telemetry Unit
A small-sized transmitter which has wires that place ECG patches on the chest. The unit then sends the information it detects about the heart to health care professionals, by way of radio transmission, for evaluation.

Tendonitis
An inflammation of either the covering of a tendon or the tendon itself. It is usually caused by repeated stress on the tendon which aggravates it.

Thallium Stress Test
A diagnostic test wherein a radioactive substance is introduced in the blood, the progress of which is tracked by x-ray pictures.

Technetium Bone Scan
A radiological method of detecting stress fractures.

Tamoxifen
A drug that is an antagonist of estrogen, which is used for treating breast cancer.

Stress
See definition of stress.

Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis
This is a condition which affects children, wherein the ball, or the head, of the thigh bone, also called femoral head, slips out of the neck of the thigh bone, resulting in the hip joint becoming stiff and painful.

Sever's Disease
Also referred to as Calcaneal Apophysitis, this is a condition that affects children who are between 9-14 years of age, whose bone structure is not fully developed yet. It is characterized by tenderness and soreness in the heels, which can occur on children in this age group participating in sports like basketball, soccer, and other such activities which involve jumping and running.

Seborrhea
A disease that affects the sebaceous glands which results in the excessive production of sebum, or a deterioration in its quality, which has the effect of creating an oily coat, scales, or crusts on the surface of the skin.

Secretin
A hormone that is secreted in the duodenum. It results in stimulating the stomach to produce pepsin, the pancreas to produce digestive juices, and the liver to secrete bile.

Sedona Method
See what is Sedona method.

Sciatica
A condition wherein there is acute and spasmodic pain along the sciatic nerve, which may be caused either by irritation of the nerve, or direct pressure on it.

Sclerotherapy
A method of arresting bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. An endoscope is used to insert a needle through it to place clotting agents where there is bleeding.

Scotoma
A visual disorder wherein there is complete or partial loss of vision in an area of the eye, which is surrounded by an area wherein there is normal vision.

Saline Solution
A solution made up of distilled water and sodium chloride.

Salpingectomy
Surgically removing either one or both the fallopian tubes.

Salpingo-Oophorectomy
Surgically removing both the fallopian tubes as well as the ovaries.

Saturated Fat
Fat which is found in the meat and skin of animals, dairy products, and certain vegetables.

Scapula
Also referred to as the shoulder blade, in human beings it is the triangular flat bones on each side of the shoulders.

Sacroiliac Joint
A joint that lies betwixt the sacrum and ilium. It is a flat bone that helps to compose the pelvis.

Rotator Cuff Tear
See what is Rotator Cuff Tear in Shoulder.

Refractive Error
The degree at which light reaches the back part of the eye; it includes hyperopia, astigmatism, and myopia.

Regional Anesthetic
An anesthetic that is used to benumb a part of the body.

Regurgitation, Heart
A defective valve of the heart causing blood to flow backward.

Resting Tremor
A tremor in a limb increasing when it is at rest.

Reflux Esophagitis
Inflammation of the esophagus because of the contents of the stomach returning into it.

Rectal Manometry
A test using a thin tube to which a balloon is attached which measures the movements and pressure of the sphincter and rectal muscles.

Rectocele
A condition wherein the lower wall of the vagina is weakened resulting in the rectum bulging into it.

Reflux
Also referred to as regurgitation, this is a condition wherein small amounts of the contents of the stomach, or gastric juices, return into the esophagus, and even into the mouth.

Radionuclide Ventriculography
A diagnostic method which is used for determining the size and shape of the chambers of the heart.

Range of Motion
Measuring the extent to which a joint can be moved, extended, or flexed.

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Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
The recommended levels of essential nutrients that should be consumed by healthy people. This is set according to scientific basis by the Food and Nutrition Board.

Radionuclide Scan
A small amount of a radioactive material injected into a vein in order to make an imaging scan. A machine checks the radioactivity levels in organs, which help in detecting tumors.

Radical Prostatectomy
A surgical procedure wherein the prostate gland is removed along with the seminal vesicle glands that are attached to it.

Radiculopathy
A constriction of a nerve in the spinal column usually due to a slipped or herniated disc, which results in shooting pains.

Radioactivity
See what is Radioactivity.

Radioisotope
Injecting a radioactive substance into the body in order to make pictures with a nuclear scanner.

Radical Mastectomy
Surgically removing the full breast, along with the ancillary lymph nodes, and the pectoral muscles.

Radiation Therapy
Using radiation from neutron, x-rays, and various other sources to shrink tumors and kill cancerous cells.

Quinquagenarian
A person in his/her fifties.

Quintan Fever
A fever that recurs every five days, which is a characteristic of trench fever.

Radial Keratotomy (RK)
A surgical method of correcting myopia by making incisions in the cornea in a radial pattern.

Radiation Colitis
The colon getting inflamed due to radiation therapy.

Quincke's Disease
An angioneurotic edema, which is a type of localized swelling that occurs in the deep layers of fatty tissue and skin.

Quinine
The original drug against malaria. The term has been derived from 'kina', a Peruvian Indian word, which means 'bark of the tree' pertaining to the chinchona tree.

Quinacrine
A drug used to treat malaria. In cytogenetics, the branch of medicine that deals with the cellular factors of heredity, it is used as a dye to stain chromosomes.

Quadriplegia
All the four limbs being afflicted with paralysis, which can be caused due to an accident which damages the upper part of the spinal cord, or stroke.

Qualified Health Claim
A claim that is granted authorization by the FDA, or the US Food and Drug Administration, which must be corroborated by convincing scientific basis about the relationship between a particular food and a condition related to health or disease. For instance, a qualified health claim was announced by the FDA in 2004, which stated that the chances of getting coronary heart disease was reduced if foods containing omega-3 fatty acids were included in the diet.

Quadriparesis
The weakening of all the four limbs, both legs and both arms, for instance, as a result of muscular dystrophy.

Qaly
This stands for Quality Adjusted Life Year, which means a year in a person's life being adjusted according to its quality. For example, a year of perfect health is regarded as equivalent to 1.0 QALY. Likewise, a year wherein the person is ill would have a reduced value. For instance, a year of being bedridden would be calculated as having 0.5 QALY.

Periodontal Diseases
Also referred to as gum diseases, these are serious infections caused by bacteria which damage the gums and the other tissues in the mouth that surround it.

Physical Education
See physical education definition.

Physical Fitness
See definition of physical fitness.

Psychology
See definition of psychology.

Perilymph Fistula
The leakage of the fluid of the inner ear into the middle ear which may be due to trauma of the head, barotrauma, or physical exertion.

Pericardium
The membrane which the heart is surrounded by.

Peptic Ulcer
An ulcer, generally caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacterium, which occurs in the lining of the stomach, esophagus, or duodenum. When it occurs in the stomach it is referred to as a gastric ulcer, and if in the duodenum, it is called a duodenal ulcer.

Pathologist
A physician specializing in medical diagnosis by identifying diseases. He/she does this by studying tissues and cells under a microscope.

Pathology
The medical branch that deals with the study of the nature, causes and effects of various diseases.

Peak Flow Meter
A hand-held device that is inexpensive and portable, which is used for measuring the ability of blowing air from the lungs. Useful for checking the lung capacity of a patient, such as those afflicted with asthma.

Parosmia
An impairment of the olfactory senses which causes the individual to perceive odors that are non-existent.

Partial Colectomy
Surgically removing a portion of the large intestine.

Partial Mastectomy
A surgical procedure wherein a part of the breast is removed.

Patellar Tendonitis
An inflammation of the ligament of the patella, usually because of overuse.

Palliative Treatment
A treatment that alleviates the symptoms of a disease, for example reducing pain, without curing it. The main purpose of this is improving the quality of life of the patient.

Pallidotomy
An operation wherein the globus pallidus, a part of the brain, is lesioned to improve symptoms like rigidity, tremor, and bradykinesia.

Palsy
The loss in the ability of moving a part of the body due to the paralysis of a group of muscles or a muscle.

Papillary Stenosis
A condition wherein the openings of the pancreatic ducts and bile ducts become narrow.

Parkinsonism
The term with which a group of disorders that have similar features are referred to. The four main symptoms are

Osteocyte
A cell in the bone which maintains it as a living tissue.

Osteophyte
An abnormal, small and bony growth in the bone.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE)
A test to check hearing, using a microphone put in the ear canal, that measures the sounds, or acoustic emissions, which are generated in the inner ear.

Pacemaker
An electronic device which regulates the heartbeat, which is implanted surgically into the chest and heart of a patient.