Anatomy Test 2 Clinical Terms

Front 1

Asystole

Back 1

failure of the heart to contract

Front 2

Cardiac Catheterization

Back 2

Diagnostic procedure in which a fine catheter (tube) is passed from a blood vessel at the body surface to the heart. Blood-oxygen content, blood pressure, and blood flow are measured, and heart structures can be visualized. Findings help detect problems with the heart valves, heart deformities, and other cardiac malfunctions.

Front 3

Cardiomyopathy

Back 3

Any disease of the myocardium that weakens the heart's ability to pump.

Front 4

Echocardiography

Back 4

Ultrasound imaging of the heart; used not only for imaging but also for measuring blood flow through the heart.

Front 5

Endocarditis

Back 5

Inflammation of the endocardium, usually confined to the endocardium of the heart valves. Endocarditis often results from infection by bacteria that have entered the bloodstream, but may result from fungal infections or an autoimmune response. Drug addicts may develop endocarditis by injecting themselves with contaminated needles. Additionally, the bacteria can enter during routine dentistry and ear-piercing procedures.

Front 6

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Back 6

Inherited condition in which the wall of the left ventricle (especially the interventricular septum) is abnormally thick and composed of disorganized muscle cells. Affects 1 of every 500 people. Because of the lumen of the left ventricle is too small to hold all the atrial blood returning to it, blood pressure in the pulmonary circuit is elevated. Additionally, the grossly thickened myocardium becomes ischemic because it cannot get enough oxygen from the coronary vessels that supply it. Exercising can lead to fainting, chest pain, or even sudden death.

Front 7

Myocarditis

Back 7

Inflammation of the heart's myocardium. Sometimes follows an untreated streptococcal infection in children; may be extremely serious because it can weaken the heart and impair its ability to pump blood.

Front 8

Percussion

Back 8

Tapping the thorax or abdomen wall with the fingertips and using the nature of the resulting sounds to estimate the location, density, and size of the underlying organs. Percussion of the thoracic wall can be used to estimate the size of a patient's heart.

Front 9

Angiography

Back 9

Diagnostic technique involving the infusion of a radiopaque substance into the bloodstream for X-ray examination of specific blood vessels. Angiography is the major way of diagnosing occlusion of coronary arteries and risk of heart attack. The images obtained with this procedure are called angiograms.

Front 10

Angiosarcoma

Back 10

Cancer originating from the endothelium of a blood vessel; may develop in liver vessels following exposure to chemical carcinogens.

Front 11

Blue Baby

Back 11

A baby with cyanosis (skin appears blue) due to relatively low levels of oxygen in the blood. This condition is caused by any congenital defect that leads to low oxygenation of the systemic blood, including patent (open) foramen ovale and patent ductus arteriosus (see above), failure of the lungs to inflate at birth, and other conditions.

Front 12

Carotid Endarterectomy

Back 12

Surgical procedure for scraping away atherosclerotic plaques that block the base of the internal carotid artery; done to decrease the risk of a stroke.

Front 13

Phlebitis

Back 13

Inflammation of a vein, accompanied by painful throbbing and redness of the skin over the inflamed vein; most often caused by bacterial infection or local physical trauma.

Front 14

Phlebotomy

Back 14

An incision made in a vein for withdrawing blood.

Front 15

Atelectasis

Back 15

Collapse of the lung, either from airway obstruction or from the compression of pleural effusion. Can also refer to a failure of the lungs to inflate, as in premature infants.

Front 16

Bronchoscopy

Back 16

Use of a viewing tube to examine the internal surface of the main bronchi in the lung. The tube is inserted through the nose or mouth and guided inferiorly thorough the larynx and trachea. Forceps may be attached to the tip of the tube to remove trapped objects, take biopsy samples, or retrieve samples of mucus for examination.

Front 17

Croup

Back 17

Disease in children in which viral-induced inflammation causes the air passageways to narrow; is characterized by coughing that sounds like the bark of a dog, hoarseness, and wheezing or grunting sounds during inspiration. Most cases resolved after a few days, but severe cases may require anti-inflammatory aerosols or a tracheotomy to bypass the obstructed upper respiratory tubes.

Front 18

Pneumonia

Back 18

An infectious inflammation of the lungs in which fluid accumulates in the alveoli. Of the over 50 known varieties, most are caused by viruses or bacteria (however, the type of pneumonia associated with AIDS, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, is caused by a fungus). Extremely common, pneumonia is the sixth most frequent cause of death in the United States because almost any severely ill person can develop it.

Front 19

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Back 19

Unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant during sleep. Commonly called crib death, SIDS is the most frequent case of death in infants under 1 year old. The cause is unknown, but it may reflect immaturity of the brain's respiratory control centers. Since 1992, a campaign to have babies sleep on their backs instead of on their bellies has led to a decline of 40% or more in the incidence of SIDS in the United States.

Front 20

Tuberculosis (TB)

Back 20

A lung disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is spread by coughing and enters the body in inhaled air. TB typically affects the lungs but can spread through lymphatic vessels to the other organs. A massive inflammatory and immune response contains the primary infection within fibrous or calcified nodules in the lungs (tubercles), but the bacteria often survive, break out, and cause repeated infections. Symptoms of the TB are coughing, weight loss, mild fever, and chest pain. Some strains of TB are now resistant to antibiotics, and TB cases are increasing in the United States. Current vaccines protect more than half of the children who receive them, but are not effective in adults.

Front 21

Anal Fissure

Back 21

A longitudinal tear in the mucosa of the anal canal, often caused by the passage of hard, dry feces. Usually heals naturally, but most fissures that do not heal are in the posterior midline, which is poorly vascularized. Symptoms include pain and bleeding during defecation. Treatment includes using laxatives to soften the feces, glycerin suppositories, or in persistent cases, surgery.

Front 22

Ascites

Back 22

Abnormal accumulation of serous fluid that has leaked out of peritoneal capillaries into the peritoneal cavity; may be caused by portal hypertension following liver cirrhosis or by heart or kidney disease. Excessive ascites causes visible bloating of the abdomen.

Front 23

Endoscopy

Back 23

The viewing of the lining of a ventral body cavity or tubular organ with a flexible, tubelike device called an endoscope, which contains a lens and a light radiating from its tip. Endoscopes are used to view the internal surfaces of various parts of the alimentary canal, including the stomach (gastroscopy), the colon (colonoscopy), and the sigmoid colon (sigmoidoscopy).

Laparoscopy is the use of an endoscope inserted into the peritoneal cavity through the anterior abdominal wall, typically to assess the condition of the digestive organs and the pelvic reproductive organs in women.

Front 24

Enteritis

Back 24

Inflammation of the intestine, especially the small intestine.

Front 25

Liver Biopsy

Back 25

Removal from the liver of a small piece of living tissue, which is then examined for signs of disease. The puncturing needle is inserted through the seventh, eight, or night intercostal space, in the right midaxillary line (straight inferiorly from the axilla) after the patient has exhaled as much air as possible. (Exhalation minimizes the chances that the needle will pierce the lung.)

Front 26

Pyloric Stenosis

Back 26

Congenital condition in about 1 in 400 newborns, in which the pyloric sphincter of the stomach is abnormally constricted; the condition's characteristic sign, projectile vomiting, usually does not appear until the baby begins to eat solid food. This condition can usually be repaired surgically. Can also occur in adults through scarring cause by an ulcer or by a tumor that blocks the pyloric opening.

Front 27

Rectocele

Back 27

Condition in women in which the rectum pushes on the vagina and bulges into the posterior vaginal wall. Usually results from tearing of the supportive muscles of the pelvic floor during childbirth, which then allows the unsupported pelvic viscera to sink inferiorly. May also be associated with rectal prolapse, in which the rectal mucosa protrudes from the anus.

Front 28

Cystocele

Back 28

Condition in women in which the urinary bladder pushes on the vagina and bulges into the anterior superior vaginal wall; may result from tearing of the supportive muscles of the pelvic floor during childbirth, which then causes the unsupported pelvic viscera to sink inferiorly. This condition changes the position of the upper urethra in ways that can lead either to urinary retention or incontinence; a tearing or weakening of the external urethral sphincter also promotes stress incontinence.

Front 29

Cystoscopy

Back 29

The threading of a thin viewing tube through the urethra into the bladder to examine the surface of the bladder mucosa. Can detect bladder tumors, kidney stones, and infections.

Front 30

Dialysis

Back 30

A technique for removing wastes from the blood and replenishing acid-base buffers in individuals with failing kidneys; involves the diffusion of solutes across a membrane situated between the blood and a dialysis solution. The membrane can be either in an artificial kidney machine, through which the patient's blood is run (a process called hemodialysis), or in the patient's own peritoneum (a process called peritoneal dialysis). In the latter case, the dialysis fluid is injected into the patient's peritoneal cavity and removed when it has accumulated wastes.

Front 31

Renal infarct

Back 31

Area of dead (necrotic) renal tissue; may result from infection, hydronephrosis, or blockage of the blood supply to the kidney; commonly caused b y blockage of an interlobar artery, which lacks anastomoses.

Front 32

Vesicoureteric reflux

Back 32

Abnormal backflow of urine from the bladder into the ureter during micturition. In infants, it often reflects a congenital abnormality of the valve mechanism of the ureters in the bladder wall. When it appears in adults, it can result from increased pressures during voiding or from an obstruction of the urethra. Reflux can lead to pressure damage in the kidneys, kidney stones, and infection of the entire urinary tract as bacteria are flushed upward from the urethra. Treatment is with antibiotics, surgical reconstruction of the vesicoureteric valves or, in severe cases, by moving the end of the ureter so that it empties into the intestine.

Front 33

Neuroblastoma

Back 33

A malignant tumor in children arising from cells that have retained a neuroblast-like structure. These blastomas sometimes originate in the brain, but most are of neural crest origin in the PNS.

Front 34

Neurologist

Back 34

A medical specialist in the study of the nervous system and its disorders

Front 35

Neuropathy

Back 35

Any disease of the nervous tissue, but particularly a degenerative disease of nerves.

Front 36

Neurotoxin

Back 36

substance that is poisonous or destructive to nervous tissue; examples are botulism and tetanus toxins.

Front 37

Rabies

Back 37

A viral infection of the nervous system transferred to humans by the bites of - or other contact with - infected mammals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, foxes, and skunks. Once it enters the body, the virus is transported through peripheral nerve axons to the CNS, where it causes inflammation of the brain, resulting in delirium and death. Because of extensive vaccination of dogs and careful medical treatment of animal bites, human rabies i now very rare in the Unites States, but it kills about 40,000 people a year worldwide. A vaccine- and antibody-based treatment is effective if given before symptoms appear.

Front 38

Encephalopathy

Back 38

Any disease or disorder of the brain.

Front 39

Microcephaly

Back 39

Congenital condition involving the formation of a small brain and skull. May result from damage to the brain before birth or from premature fusion of the sutures of the skull. Most microcephalic children have severe mental deficits.

Front 40

Myelitis

Back 40

Inflammation of the spinal cord.

Front 41

Myelogram

Back 41

X-ray study of the spinal cord after injection of a contrast medium

Front 42

Phantom Limb Pain

Back 42

People who have had a limb amputated commonly perceive pain in the "phantom" body part that is no longer present. Although it can be spontaneous, the pain is often induced by touching the skin of the limb stump or the face. The cause of this pain is now understood. First, the amputation removes all axonal input to the limb representation on the primary somatosensory crerbral cortex. Next, this denervated cortical areas in reinnervated by growing axon from the nearby cortical regions that contain face and stump representations, such that touches on the face and stump are interpreted as coming form the now-missing limb.

Front 43

Tourette's Syndrome

Back 43

A brain disorder that affects about 1 of every 3000 Americans, mostly males. Characterized by tics (sudden, fast movements or sounds) such as blinks, grimaces, barks, and yelps. May involve obscene vocalizations, repeating the words and actions of others, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. In this condition, the basal ganglia do not properly regulate a neurotransmitter called dopamine and the thus cannot interact with the motor cerebral cortex to inhibit stereotypical behaviors. This syndrome is treated with psychotropic drugs. After the preteen years, the severity of the symptoms usually declines with age.

Front 44

Nerve Injuries

Back 44

The following terms describe various injuries, listed here in order of increasing severity. (1) Neurapraxia is a temporary and incomplete loss of nerve function, resulting from pressure and the ensuing ischemia; only the myelin is seriously harmed, and it regenerates so that function returns in a few weeks. (2) Axonotmesis is an injury that causes breaks in the axons, but the surrounding epineurium remains intact; axonal regrowth proceeds at the rate of about a centimeter a week. (3) In neurotmesis, the whole nerve is severed. Surgical reconnection is necessary for regeneration to occur.

Front 45

Neuralgia

Back 45

Sharp, spasmlike pain along the course of one of more nerves, usually caused by inflammation or injury to the nerves.

Front 46

Neuritis

Back 46

Inflammation of a nerve. There are many different forms of neuritis with different effects, including increased or decreased nerve sensitivity, paralysis of the structure served, and pain.

Front 47

Scapular winging

Back 47

Condition in which the medial border of the scapula projects posteriorly, due to the paralysis of the serratus anterior muscle. The ultimate cause is damage tot he long thoracic nerve supplying the serratus anterior.

Front 48

Atonic Bladder

Back 48

A condition in which the bladder becomes flaccid and overfills, allowing urine to dribble out. Atonic bladder results from the temporary loss of the micturition reflex following injury to the spinal cord.

Front 49

Vagotomy

Back 49

Cutting or severing of a vagus nerve, often to decrease the secretion of stomach acid and other caustic digestive juices that aggravate ulcers.

Front 50

Congenital Deafness

Back 50

One of every 500-1000 children is born deaf because of such physical factors as an immobile stapes, over production of perilymph, and various malformations of the middle and internal ear. The ultimate causes of congenital deafness are less well understood, though it can result from maternal mumps, syphilis, or rubella during pregnancy. Many congenital cases are genetically based, and at least four different genes have been identified that, when mutated, cause deafness.

Front 51

Opthalmology

Back 51

The study of the eye and eye diseases. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor whose specialty is treating eye disorders. By contrast, an optometrist is a licensed non physician who measures vision and prescribes corrective lenses.

Front 52

Otitis Externa (swimmer's ear)

Back 52

Inflammation and infection of the external acoustic meatus, caused by bacteria or fungi that enter the canal from outside, especially when the canal is moist.

Front 53

Otorhinolaryngology

Back 53

The study of the ear, nose, and larynx and the diseases of these body regions.

Front 54

Scotoma

Back 54

A blind spot in the visual field other than the normal blind spot caused by the optic disc; often reflects the presence of a brain tumor pressing on nerve fibers along the visual pathway.

Front 55

Tinnitus

Back 55

Persistent noise-a ringing, whistling, humming, buzzing, or screeching-that seems to come from the ears in 10% to 20% of all elderly people, causing great distress and annoyance. It often first appears after a loud noise or an injury to the head or cochlea. Recent evidence suggests that tinnitus is analogous to phantom limb pain-it is a "phantom cochlear noise" caused by destruction of some neurons along the auditory pathway. With the other neurons of this pathway now deprived of their normal input, nearby axons grow in and reinnervate these neurons, and the CNS interprets background signals form the new axons as noise. Treatments include masking the noise with soothing sounds, counseling, and biofeedback; drugs are largely unsuccessful.