| Abscess |
A localised collection of pus (Latin abscessus, ‘to go away’ - referring to bodily humours going away in the pus) |
| Adenoma |
A benign epithelial tumour of glandular origin |
| Aneurysm |
Dilatation of an artery (Greek aneurusma, ‘dilation, swelling’) |
| Antegrade |
Going in the direction of flow, e.g. antegrade pyelogram |
| Arrhythmia |
Disturbance or irregularity of the heartbeat |
| Axillary |
Of, relating to, or located near the axilla (armpit) |
| Ballotment |
To toss about (French) |
| Bifurcation |
To divide into two parts or branches |
| Biliary |
Of or relating to bile, the bile ducts, or the gallbladder |
| Cannulation |
The insertion of a cannula or tube into a hollow body organ |
| Capillary |
A tube of small internal diameter |
| Cirrhosis |
Chronic degenerative disease of the liver |
| Claudication |
Claudius I (10BC – 54AD), Emperor of Rome had a limp, possibly due to polio. Hence the Latin term claudus for ‘lame’. |
| Colitis |
Inflammation of the colon |
| Concomitant |
Occurring or existing concurrently |
| Cutaneous |
Relating to or existing on or affecting the skin |
| Diverticulum |
Plural diverticula (hence, use of the term ‘diverticulae’ is erroneous) |
| Dysplasia |
Abnormal development or growth of tissues, organs, or cells |
| Embolus |
A blood clot that becomes lodged in a blood vessel and obstructs it (Greek embolos, ‘peg, stopper, wedge’) |
| Empyema |
A collection of pus in a body cavity |
| Endarterectomy |
Surgical removal of the inner lining of an artery that is clogged with atherosclerosis |
| En bloc |
On mass; all together |
| Fistula |
A pipe or tube (Latin), plural fistulae. An abnormal communication between two hollow viscera, or one hollow viscera and the skin. It is conventional to name the diseased viscus first i.e. colovesical fistula due to diverticula disease; whereas, vesicocolic fistula from a bladder cancer. |
| Fundoplication |
A surgical procedure involving making tucks in the fundus of the stomach around the lower end of the oesophagus |
| Ganglioma |
A tumour of a ganglion |
| Gangrene |
Death of tissue with putrefaction, sometimes referred to as ‘wet’ gangrene (Greek gaggraina, ‘death of tissue). C.f. necrosis, mummification |
| Haematoma |
A swelling containing blood |
| Haemorrhage |
Heavy bleeding from ruptured blood vessels |
| Haemorrhoid |
Pain caused by venous swelling at or inside the anal sphincter |
| Hepatic |
Of, relating to, or resembling the liver; acting on or occurring in the liver |
| Hernia |
The abnormal protrusion of the contents of a cavity beyond the normal confines of that cavity |
| Hydatid |
Cyst filled with liquid; forms as a result of infestation by tapeworm larvae |
| Ileus |
Intestinal obstruction |
| Infarction |
Infarct: localized necrosis resulting from obstruction of the blood supply |
| Inguinal |
Of, relating to, or located in the groin |
| Intussusception |
The enfolding of one segment of the intestine within another |
| Ischaemia |
An inadequate supply of blood to a part of the body caused by blockage of an artery |
| Keloid |
An area of raised pink or red fibrous scar tissue at the edges of a wound or incision (Greek khele, ‘crab claw’) |
| Laparoscopy |
Laparotomy performed with a laparoscope that makes a small incision to examine the abdominal cavity |
| Lymphoma |
Any of various usually malignant tumours that arise in the lymph nodes or in other lymphoid tissue |
| Maxillary |
Of or relating to a jaw or jawbone, especially the upper one |
| Mesenteric |
Of or relating to or located in a mesentery |
| Mesothelioma |
A form of carcinoma of the mesothelium lining lungs or abdomen or heart; usually associated with exposure to asbestos dust |
| Metastasis |
The spreading of a disease (especially cancer) to another part of the body |
| Mummification |
Death of tissue with desiccation rather than putrefaction, sometimes referred to as ‘dry’ gangrene. (French momifier, ‘to dry out and shrivel’) |
| Necrosis |
Death of tissue with structural evidence of such death |
| Nephrectomy |
Surgical removal of a kidney |
| Occlusion |
Closure or blockage (as of a blood vessel) |
| Omental |
Pertaining to the omentum (a fold of peritoneum supporting the viscera) |
| Ossification |
The developmental process of bone formation |
| Paediatric |
Of or relating to the medical care of children |
| Perfusion |
Pumping a liquid into an organ or tissue (especially by way of blood vessels) |
| Peritoneal |
Of or relating to or affecting the peritoneum |
| Popliteal |
Of or relating to the area behind the knee joint |
| Psoas |
Either of two muscles of the abdomen and pelvis that flex the trunk and rotate the thigh |
| Retrograde |
Going a reverse direction against flow e.g. endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) |
| Sebaceous |
Greasy |
| Sepsis |
The presence of pus-forming bacteria or their toxins in the blood or tissues |
| Sigmoid |
Curved in two directions (like the letter S) |
| Sinus |
A blind tract lined with granulation tissue hollow or gulf (Latin, ‘curve, fold, hollow’) |
| Slough |
A piece of dead soft tissue or water (Old English sloh, a hole or low area in the ground filled with mud) |
| Splenic |
Of or relating to the spleen |
| Squamous |
Covered with or formed of scales; scaly |
| Stent |
An artificial tube inserted into a tubular organ to keep it open |
| Stoma |
Surgical opening: an artificial opening made in an organ, especially an opening in the colon (colostomy) or ileum (ileostomy) made via the abdomen. (Greek, ‘mouth’). Plural stomata |
| Subacute |
Used to describe a medical condition that develops less rapidly and with less severity than an acute condition |
| Suture |
The fine thread or other material used surgically to close a wound or join tissues; an immovable joint (especially between the bones of the skull) |
| Thrombus |
A blood clot that forms in a blood vessel and remains at the site of formation (Greek thrombos, ‘clot’) |
| Tomography |
Obtaining pictures of the interior of the body |
| Tonsillar |
Of or pertaining to the tonsils |
| Ulcer |
A non-traumatic discontinuity of an epithelial surface (Latin ulcer, ‘a sore’) |
| Varicose veins |
Dilated, lengthened, and tortuous veins |
| Ventricular |
Of or relating to a ventricle (of the heart or brain) |
