Medical terms - Letter B (page 10) | MedicalVocabulary.org

BNP

B-type natriuretic peptide
Board certified

Board certified in medicine means a physician has taken and passed a medical specialty examination. Board eligible, by contrast, means that a physician has completed the requirements for admission to a medical specialty…
Board eligible

Board eligible in medicine means that a physician has completed the requirements for admission to a medical specialty board examination but has not taken and passed that examination. Board certified in medicine, by…
BOD POD

A method for determining the lean body mass. The BOD POD is a computerized, egg-shaped chamber. Using the same whole-body measurement principle as underwater weighing, the BOD POD measures a subject's mass and volume…
Body cell mass

The total mass of all the cellular elements in the body which constitute all the metabolically active tissue of the body. There is depletion of the body cell mass (BCM) that is characteristic of wasting of the body…
Body dysmorphic disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder: A psychiatric disorder characterized by excessive preoccupation with imagined defects in physical appearance. People with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are obsessed by the idea that some part…
Body fat monitor

See: Bioelectric impedance analysis
Body fat scales

See: Bioelectric impedance analysis
Body habitus

The physique or body build. For example: 'The metabolic complications most commonly reported (with HIV infection) are hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia and altered body habitus.' The term 'body habitus' is somewhat…
Body hearing aid

A type of hearing aid that comprises a rectangular case carried on the body connected by cords to earmolds. A body hearing aid are generally reserved for the most severe hearing losses. It is not often used and is the…
Body image obsession

Excessive concern about one's appearance. Some concern about one's appearance is normal. But an obsession with one's appearance is not. Body image obsession is also called body dysmorphic disorder. The condition carries…
Body integrity identity disorder

(BIID) A psychological condition in which the individual actively seeks an elective amputation. Individuals with the disorder have the persistent desire to have their body physically match the idealized image they have…
Body mass index

A key index for relating a person's body weight to their height. The body mass index (BMI) is a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by their height in meters (m) squared. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)…
Body packer

An individual who ingests wrapped packets of illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, ecstasy, marijuana, or hashish to transport them. A person who transports illicit drugs by internal concealment
Body packing

The practice of internally concealing illicit drugs. See: Body packer
Body stuffing

The swallowing of relatively small amounts of loosely wrapped illicit drugs because of the fear of arrest
Body surface area

BSA. The total suface area of the human body. The BSA is used in many measurements in medicine, including the calculation of drug dosages and the amount of fluids to be administered IV. A number of different formulas…
Body type

A somewhat old-fashioned term used to classify the human shape into three primary types: ectomorphic, mesomorphic, or endomorphic
Body, amygdaloid

See: Amygdaloid nucleus
Body, ciliary

Part of the eye, the ciliary body is a thin vascular (blood vessel-filled) middle layer of the eye that is situated between the sclera (the white of the eye) and the retina (the nerve layer that lines the back of the…
Bodywork

Any of a number of therapeutic or simply relaxing practices that involve the manipulation, massage, or regimented movement of body parts. Examples include massage, craniosacral therapy, and Pilates. Bodywork may be used…
Boerhaave's syndrome

Spontaneous tearing and rupture of the esophagus. Typically, Boerhaave's syndrome requires an operation for repair
Bogorad's syndrome

Named after the Russian neuropathologist who described the syndrome of crocodile tears. See: Crocodile tears syndrome
Boil

A skin abscess, a collection of pus localized deep in the skin. A boil usually starts as a reddened, tender area and in time becomes firm and hard. Eventually, the center of the abscess softens and becomes filled with…
Bone

Bone is the substance that forms the skeleton of the body. It is composed chiefly of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. It also serves as a storage area for calcium, playing a large role in calcium balance in the…
Bone cancer

Bone cancer: A malignancy in bone. Primary bone cancer, one that begins in bone, is uncommon but it is not unusual for a malignancy to spread to bone from other parts of the body such as from breast, lung, and prostate…
Bone cyst, aneurysmal

A benign lesion in a bone that contains connective tissue and blood inside a thin bony shell and that acts like a tumor and expands the bone. Aneurysmal bone cysts typically occur in the second decade of life and can…
Bone cyst, simple

A solitary fluid-filled cyst (cavity) in a bone, usually in the shaft of a long bone, especially the humerus, in a child. The cyst can cause pain in or near it. Also called a unicameral bone cyst or solitary bone cyst
Bone density

Bone density is the amount of bone tissue in a certain volume of bone. It can be measured using a special x-ray called a quantitative computed tomogram
Bone marrow

Bone marrow: The soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains fat and immature and mature blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Diseases or drugs that…
Bone marrow aspiration

The removal of a small amount of bone marrow (usually from the hip) through a needle. The needle is placed through the top layer of bone and a liquid sample containing bone marrow cells is obtained through the needle by…
Bone marrow biopsy

The removal of a sample of bone marrow and a small amount of bone (usually from the hip) through a large needle. Two samples are taken. The first is bone marrow by aspiration (suction with a syringe). The second sample…
Bone marrow transplant

A procedure in which bone marrow that is diseased or damaged is replaced with healthy bone marrow. The bone marrow to be replaced may be deliberately destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The…
Bone marrow transplantation

See: Bone marrow transplant
Bone mass density

A measure of bone density. Loss of bone mass is due to osteopenia or, if more severe, to osteoporosis
Bone mineral density

BMD, a measure of bone density, reflecting the strength of bones as represented by calcium content. The BMD test detects osteopenia (mild bone loss, usually without symptoms) and osteoporosis (more severe bone loss…
Bone morphogenetic protein

A protein that induces the formation of bone and cartilage. Bone morphogenic protein 2 (which is symbolized BMP2) belongs to a superfamily called transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta). The gene for BMP2 is on…
Bone morphogenic protein 2

A protein that induces the formation of bone and cartilage. Bone morphogenic protein 2 (which is symbolized BMP2) belongs to a superfamily called transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta). The gene for BMP2 is on…
Bone scan

A technique to create images of bones on a computer screen or on film. A small amount of radioactive material is injected and travels through the bloodstream. It collects in the bones, especially in abnormal areas of…
Bone type

One of the four basic bone shapes in the human skeleton -- long bones, short bones, flat bones, and irregular bones. Long bones have a tubular shaft and articular surface at each end. The major bones of the arms…
Bone, ankle

The ankle bone is termed the talus. It is the bone of the foot that joins the tibia and fibula to form the ankle joint. Plural tali
Bone, blade

Familiar term for the scapula, also called the shoulder blade or wing bone, the flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder
Bone, breast

Breast: Familiar name for what is medically termed the sternum, the long flat bone in the middle of the front of the chest. The sternum articulates (comes together) with the cartilages of the first seven ribs and with…
Bone, calf

Familiar name for the fibula, the lateral (outside) and smaller of the two long bones in the lower leg. The other bone in the lower leg is the tibia. The tibia bears weight; the fibula does not. The fibula articulates…
Bone, carpal

One of the wrist bones. There are eight carpal bones that are arranged in two rows. The carpal bones articulate (come together to form a joint) proximally (on their near ends) with the long bones of the forearm -- the…
Bone, coccygeal

The small tail-like bone at the bottom of the spine very near to the anus. The coccyx is made up of 3-5 rudimentary vertebrae. It is the lowest part of the spinal column. The word 'coccygeal' comes from the Greek…
Bone, collar

A horizontal bone above the first rib that makes up the front part of the shoulder. The collarbone, also called the clavicle, links the sternum, or breastbone, with the scapula, a triangular bone in the back of the…
Bone, cranial

Part of the top portion of the skull which protects the brain. The bones of the cranium include the frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones
Bone, cuboid

The cuboid bone is the outer bone in the instep of the foot. It is called the cuboid bone because it is shaped like a cube. The cuboid bone articulates posteriorly (it has a joint in back) with the calcaneus (the heel…
Bone, endochondral

Any bone that develops in and replaces cartilage. The cartilage is partially or entirely destroyed by the process of calcification. The cartilage is then resorbed (reabsorbed), leaving bone in its place. Many bones are…