Medical terms - Letter B (page 11) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Bone, ethmoid

See: Ethmoid bone
Bone, frontal

See: Frontal bone
Bone, giant cell tumor of

A tumor of bone characterized by massive destruction of the end (epiphysis) of a long bone. The site most commonly struck by this tumor is the knee -- the far end of the femur and the near end of the tibia. The tumor is…
Bone, heel

A somewhat rectangular bone at the back of the foot. The words 'calcaneus' and 'calcium' are related. Medically termed the calcaneus.
Bone, occipital

See: Occipital bone
Bone, parietal

The main bone on the side of the skull. Although the parietal bone is curved, it is considered a flat bone (as opposed to a tubular bone). The parietal bone is shaped like an irregular quadrangle. It articulates (joins)…
Bone, sesamoid

See Sesamoid bone
Bone, shin

The larger of the two bones in the lower leg (the smaller one being the fibula). The shin bone is anatomically known as the tibia. 'Tibia' is a Latin word meaning both shin bone and flute. It is thought that 'tibia'…
Bone, sphenoid

See; Sphenoid bone
Bone, temporal

See: Temporal bone
Bone, thigh

The thigh bone in anatomy is called the 'femur.' Whichever term -- thigh bone or femur -- you care to use, it is the bone in the leg that extends from the hip to the knee. The thigh bone/femur constitutes the entire…
Bone, wing

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

The bone that forms the prominence of the cheek. The zygomatic bone is also known as the zygoma, the zygomatic arch, malar bone, yoke bone. The word 'zygomatic' comes from the Greek 'zygon' meaning a yoke (as for oxen).
Bones of the arm, wrist and hand

There are 64 bones in the upper extremity. They consist of 10 shoulder and arm, 16 wrist and 38 hand bones. > >The 10 shoulder and arm bones are the clavicle, scapula, humerus, radius, and ulna on each side. >The 16…
Bones of the head

There are 29 bones in the human head. They consist of 8 cranial bones, 14 facial bones, the hyoid bone, and 6 auditory (ear) bones. > >The 8 cranial bones are the frontal, 2 parietal, occipital, 2 temporal, sphenoid…
Bones of the leg, ankle and foot

Are 62 lower extremity bones. They consist of 10 hip and leg, 14 ankle and 38 foot bones. > >The 10 hip and leg bones are the innominate or hip bone (fusion of the ilium, ischium, and pubis), femur, tibia, fibula, and…
Bones of the skeleton

The human body has 206 bones. These consist of 80 axial (head and trunk) bones and 126 appendicular (upper and lower extremity) bones. Axial bones: The 80 axial bones comprise 29 bones in the head and 51 bones in the…
Bones of the trunk

The bones of the human trunk, 51 bones in all, consisting of 26 vertebrae, 24 ribs and the sternum. The 26 vertebrae comprise the 7 cervical, 12 thoracic and 5 lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum and the coccyx. The 24 ribs…
Bones, axial

There are 80 axial bones, comprised of 29 bones in the head and 51 bones in the trunk
Bony syndactyly

A condition in which the bones of fingers or toes are joined together. Bony syndactyly is the opposite of cutaneous syndactyly, in which the bones are normal but skin between the digits is webbed
Bony tarsus

The bony tarsus is made up of 7 bones that are situated between the bones of the lower leg and the metatarsus bones. The talus thus constitutes the proximal (near) part of the foot. The 7 bones of the tarsus are the…
Boomeritis

Injuries to older amateur athletes, especially those who are part of the Baby Boom, born when there was a marked rise in the birthrate following the end of World War II in 1945. As the Baby Boom generation began to turn…
Booster shot

An additional dose of a vaccine needed periodically to 'boost' the immune system. For example, a booster shot of the tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine is recommended for adults every 10 years
Borage

An herb, also known as the starflower, that has long been used for medicinal purposes. Borage is rich in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid
Borborygmi

Rumbling sounds caused by gas moving through the intestines (stomach 'growling'). Pronounced BOR-boh-RIG-mee. The singular is borborygmus
Borborygmus

Bowel sounds, the gurgling, rumbling, or growling noise from the abdomen caused by the muscular contractions of peristalsis, the process that moves the contents of the stomach and intestines downward. The plural is…
Borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder: A serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life…
Bornholm disease

Bornholm disease is a temporary illness that is a result of virus infection. The disease features fever and intense abdominal and chest pains with headache. The chest pain is typically worsened by breathing or coughing…
Borrelia

A group of bacteria that are helical spirochetes of the genus Borrelia. Some species of Borrelia cause relapsing fever in humans and animals. For example, Borrelia burgdorferi causes Lyme disease. Named after Amedee…
Borrelia burgdorferi

The spirochete (a type of bacteria) that causes Lyme disease. Named after its discoverer, Dr. Willy Burgdorfer. See: Borrelia
Bos taurus genome

See: Bovine genome
Botox

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Bottlefeeding

The use of a substitute for breast milk for feeding infants. Pediatricians generally advise exclusively breastfeeding (that is, breastfeeding with no formula) for all full term, healthy infants for the first 6 months of…
Botulinum toxin

A toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that is the most poisonous biological substance known. Botulinum toxin acts as a neurotoxin. It binds to the nerve ending at the point where the nerve joins a…
Botulism

Botulism: An uncommon but potentially very serious illness, a type of food poisoning, that produces paralysis of muscles, via a nerve toxin called botulinum toxin ('botox') that is manufactured by bacteria named…
Bougie

A thin cylinder of rubber, plastic, metal or another material that a physician inserts into or though a body passageway, such as the esophagus, to diagnose or treat a condition. A bougie may be used to widen a…
Bougienage

A procedure involving the use of a bougie. A bougie is a thin cylinder of rubber, plastic, metal or another material that a physician inserts into or though a body passageway, such as the esophagus, to widen the…
Boutonneuse

Fievre boutonneuse or African tick typhus, one of the tick-borne rickettsial diseases of the eastern hemisphere, similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but less severe, with fever, a small ulcer (tache noire) at the…
Bovine

Having to do with cows and cattle, as in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), bovine tuberculosis, and bovine growth hormone
Bovine genome

The genome of the cow (Bos taurus). The bovine genome is similar in size to the genomes of humans and other mammals, containing approximately 3 billion DNA base pairs. The breed of cattle selected for initial sequencing…
Bovine tuberculosis

Tuberculosis in cattle caused by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis which can be transmitted to other animals and to humans
Bow-legs

A condition in which the legs curve out to leave a gap between the knees after the period of infancy has passed. It can be corrected with surgery or casting. Also called genu varum, tibia vara
Bowel

Another name for the intestine. The small bowel and the large bowel are the small intestine and large intestine, respectively. The word 'bowel' originated from the Latin 'botulus' meaning 'sausage' because the outside…
Bowel disease, inflammatory

A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by inflammation of the bowel -- the large or small intestine. The most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease…
Bowel disorders and fiber

Fiber: High fiber diets help delay the progression of diverticulosis and, at least, reduce the bouts of diverticulitis. In many cases, it helps reduce the symptoms of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It is generally…
Bowel sounds

The gurgling, rumbling, or growling noises from the abdomen caused by the muscular contractions of peristalsis, the process that moves the contents of the stomach and intestines downward. Bowel sounds are normal. Their…
Bowen disease

An early stage of skin cancer. Bowen's disease is medically the same as 'squamous cell carcinoma in situ.' Squamous cell carcinoma is a tumor that develops from the squamous cells which are flat, scale-like cells in the…
Bp

In genetics, base pair. In general medicine, blood pressure (but usually in capital letters as BP)
BP

Commonly used abbreviation for blood pressure. On a medical chart, you might see 'BP90/60 T98.6 Ht60/reg R15,' which signifies that the blood pressure (BP) is 90/60 mm Hg, the temperature (T) is 98.6° Fahrenheit, the…
BP1

Beta protein 1, a protein encoded by a member of the homeobox gene family, a group of genes important to early development of the fetus. Specifically, BP1 belongs to the DLX homeobox family. BP1 acts as a transcription…