Medical terms - Letter B (page 6) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Big bone disease

See: Kashin-Beck disease
Big toe sign

An important neurologic examination based upon what the big toe (and other toes) do when the sole of the foot is stimulated. If the big toe goes up, that may mean trouble. The big toe response, also called the Babinski…
BIID

Body integrity identity disorder
Bilateral

Having, or relating to, two sides. Bilateral is as opposed, for example, to unilateral (which means having, or relating to, one side)
Bilateral pneumonia

See: Pneumonia, bilateral
Bile

Bile is a yellow-green fluid that is made by the liver, stored in the gallbladder and passes through the common bile duct into the duodenum where it helps digest fat. The principal components of bile are cholesterol…
Bile acid

An acid made by the liver that works with bile to break down fats. On a more technical level, bile acids are steroid carboxylic acids derived from cholesterol. The primary bile acids are cholic and chenodeoxycholic…
Bile acid resin

Bile acid resins are substances that bind in the intestines with bile acids that contain cholesterol and are then eliminated in the stool. The major effect of bile acid resins is to lower LDL-cholesterol by about 10 to…
Bile duct cancer

An uncommon type of cancer that arises from the bile duct, the tube that connects the liver and the gallbladder to the small intestine. The part of the bile duct that is outside the liver is called the extrahepatic bile…
Bile sludge

A mixture of microscopic particulate matter in bile that occurs when particles of material precipitate from bile. (Bile is the fluid that is made by the liver. It is stored in the gallbladder until after a meal when it…
Bilharzia

Disease caused by worms that parasitize people. Also called schistosomiasis. Three main species of these trematode worms (flukes)--Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni - cause disease in humans. Larval…
Bilharziasis

A parasite infection by a trematode worm acquired from infested water. Also known as schistosomiasis. Species which live in man can produce liver, bladder, and gastrointestinal problems. Species of the schistosomiasis…
Biliary

Having to do with the gallbladder, bile ducts, or bile. The biliary system itself consists of the gallbladder and bile ducts and, of course, the bile. For example, biliary atresia is the absence or closure of the major…
Biliary atresia

Congenital absence or closure of the major bile ducts, the ducts that drain bile from the liver. Biliary atresia results in a progressive inflammatory process which may lead to cirrhosis of the liver. The infant looks…
Biliary compression

Abnormal pressure on the biliary tree compromising the normal drainage of bile
Biliary decompression

A procedure done to remove pressure on the biliary tree and permit the normal drainage of bile
Biliary sand

Biliary sand is a term mostly used by surgeons when they remove the gallbladder to describe uncountable, small particles in bile that are visible to the naked eye. Biliary sand may be looked upon as a stage in the…
Biliary sludge

A mixture of microscopic particulate matter in bile that occurs when particles of material precipitate from bile. (Bile is the fluid that is made by the liver. It is stored in the gallbladder until after a meal when it…
Bilious

The adjective for bile, bilious has three meanings. It means of or relating to bile. By extension, bilious means suffering from liver dysfunction (and especially excessive secretion of bile). And, further by extension…
Biliousness

A term used in the 18th and 19th centuries pertaining to bad digestion, stomach pains, constipation, and excessive flatulence (passing gas). The quantity or quality of the bile was thought to be at fault for the…
Bilirubin

A yellow-orange compound produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells.
Biloma

An encapsulated collection of bile within the abdomen. A biloma may form if there is bile duct disruption, as from a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. From bile + -oma (a tumor)
Binaural

Relating to both ears. From the Latin bini, a pair, + auris, ear = a pair (of) ears = both ears. Synonymous with stereophonic. While hearing aids may be binaural (in both ears) or monaural (in just one ear), binaural…
Binge drinking

The dangerous practice of consuming large quantities of alcoholic beverages in a single session. Binge drinking carries a serious risk of harm, including alcohol poisoning. See Alcohol poisoning.
Binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder: An eating disorder characterized by periods of extreme over-eating, but not followed by purging behaviors as in most cases of bulimia. Binge eating can occur alone, or in conjunction with a lesion…
Binocular

1. With both eyes, as in binocular vision.2. With two eyepieces, as in a binocular microscope
Binocular diplopia

See: Diplopia, binocular
Binocular vision

The ability to maintain visual focus on an object with both eyes, creating a single visual image. Lack of binocular vision is normal in infants. Adults without binocular vision experience distortions in depth perception…
Binocularity

The ability to focus upon an object with both eyes and create a single stereoscopic image. Binocularity requires highly convergent orbits. The evolutionary increases among primates in the degree of orbital convergence…
Binswanger disease

A form of dementia with blood vessel abnormalities in the deep white-matter of the brain causing loss of memory, decreasing cognition, and mood changes. Patients usually show signs of abnormal blood pressure (too high…
Binucleate

Having two nuclei. Binucleate cells are due to a defect in cytokinesis, the process by which two daughter cells separate at the completion of cell division
Bio-

Prefix indicating living plants or creatures, as in biology, the study of living organisms
Bioactive

Having an effect upon a living organism, tissue, or cell. Biologically active. Antibiotic, enzymes, and vitamins are all bioactive substances
Bioarchaeology

The use of a range of biological techniques on archaeological material in order to learn more about past populations. In bioarchaeology, one might isolate and amplify DNA from very old bones such as from the frozen body…
Biochemical

Relating to biochemistry, the application of the tools and concepts of chemistry to living systems. Biochemists study such things as the structures and physical properties of biological molecules, including proteins…
Biochemical aspirin resistance

The inability of aspirin to produce an anticipated effect on one or more tests of platelet function, such as inhibiting the biosynthesis of thromboxane, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and causing a prolongation of the…
Biochemistry

The chemistry of biology, the application of the tools and concepts of chemistry to living systems. Biochemists study such things as the structures and physical properties of biological molecules, including proteins…
Bioelectric impedance analysis

A seemingly simple method for determining the lean body mass. Abbreviated BIA. There are two methods of the BIA. One involves standing on a special scale with footpads. A harmless amount of electrical current is sent…
Biofeedback

A method of treatment that uses monitors to feed back to patients physiological information of which they are normally unaware. By watching the monitor, patients can learn by trial and error to adjust their thinking and…
Biofilm

An aggregate of microbes with a distinct architecture. A biofilm is like a tiny city in which microbial cells, each only a micrometer or two long, form towers that can be hundreds of micrometers high. The 'streets'…
Biofluid

A biological fluid. Biofluids can be excreted (such as urine or sweat), secreted (such as breast milk or bile), obtained with a needle (such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid), or develop as a result of a pathological…
Bioinformatics

The sum of the computational approaches to analyze, manage, and store biological data. Bioinformatics involves the analysis of biological information using computers and statistical techniques, the science of developing…
Biologic evolution

Biologic evolution was contrasted with cultural (social) evolution in 1968 by A.G. Motulsky who pointed out that biologic evolution is mediated by genes, shows a slow rate of change, employs random variation (mutations)…
Biological chemistry

Another name for biochemistry -- the study of the chemistry of living cells, tissues, organs and organisms. One of the premier journals of biochemistry today is the JBC, the Journal of Biological Chemistry, which was…
Biological response modifiers

S): Substances that stimulate the body's response to infection and disease. The body naturally produces small amounts of these substances. Scientists can produce some of them in the laboratory in large amounts for use…
Biological safety level 1

Level 1 biosafety
Biological safety level 2

Level 2 biosafety
Biological safety level 3

Level 3 biosafety
Biological safety level 4

Level 4 biosafety
Biological therapy

Biological therapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune (defense) system to fight infection and disease. Biological therapy is thus any form of treatment that uses the body's natural abilities…