Medical terms - Letter B (page 8) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Blackhead

A familiar term for what is medically called an open comedo. A comedo, the primary sign of acne, consists of a dilated (widened) hair follicle filled with keratin squamae (skin debris), bacteria, and sebum (oil). An…
Blackwell, Elizabeth

(1821-1910) The first woman to receive a medical degree from an accredited American college. Blackwell was born in Bristol, England. Her father was a nonconformist, liberal, and abolitionist. In 1832 with her family…
Bladder

Any pouch or other flexible enclosure that can hold liquids or gases but usually refers to the hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine -- the urinary bladder. The kidneys filter waste from the blood and…
Bladder cancer

Padding=0 width='100%' border=0> ODYvAlign=top bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2> vAlign=top width='100%' bgColor=#ffffff>Our Bladder cancer Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Bladder…
Bladder cancer risks

Smoking is a major risk factor. Cigarette smokers develop bladder cancer 2-3 times more often than do nonsmokers. Quitting smoking reduces the risk of bladder cancer, lung cancer, several other types of cancer, and a…
Bladder catheter, indwelling

A flexible plastic tube (a catheter) inserted into the bladder that remains ('dwells') there to provide continuous urinary drainage. The principal type of indwelling bladder catheter is the 'Foley' which has a balloon…
Bladder infection

Infection of the urinary bladder. Some people are at more risk for bladder and other urinary tract infections (UTIs) than others. Women are at greater risk than men. One woman in five develops a UTI during her lifetime…
Bladder inflammation

Inflammation of the urinary bladder. Also called cystitis. Can be due to infection from bacteria that ascend the urethra (the canal from the outside) to the bladder. Symptoms include a frequent need to urinate, often…
Bladder pain

Pain from the urinary bladder. Among the symptoms and signs of bladder infection are: > >feelings of pain, pressure and tenderness around the bladder, pelvis, and perineum (the area between the anus and vagina or anus…
Bladder, overactive

Bladder, overactive: A sudden involuntary contraction of the muscular wall of the bladder causing urinary urgency, an immediate unstoppable need to urinate. It is a form of urinary incontinence (the unintentional loss…
Blade bone

Familiar term for the scapula, also called the shoulder blade or wing bone, the flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder
Blalock-Taussig operation

A pioneering heart operation named after the American surgeon Alfred Blalock (1899-1964) and the pediatric cardiologist Helen B. Taussig (1898-1986). Dr. Taussig designed and Dr. Blalock carried out the first…
BLAST

Abbreviation for Basic Local Alignment Search Tool, a computer program that identifies homologous genes in different organisms (such as worms, the fruit fly, mice, and humans). Homologous genes are genes in different…
Blast phase

Refers to advanced chronic myelogenous leukemia. In this phase, the number of immature, abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood is extremely high. Also called blast crisis
Blastocyst

A thin-walled hollow structure in early embryonic development that contains a cluster of cells called the inner cell mass from which the embryo arises. The outer layer of cells gives rise to the placenta and other…
Blastocystis hominis

The parasitic organism that causes blastocystosis. See Blastocystosis
Blastocystis infection

See: Blastocystosis
Blastocystosis

Infection with Blastocystis hominis, a common microscopic parasite found worldwide. Symptoms may include watery or loose stools, diarrhea, abdominal pain, anal itching, weight loss, and excess gas. Some people have no…
Blastokinin

See: Uteroglobin
Blastoma

A tumor thought to arise in embryonic tissue. The term 'blastoma' is commonly used as part of the name for a tumor as, for examples, in glioblastoma and medulloblastoma (types of brain tumors), hepatoblastoma (a liver…
Blastomyces dermatitidis

The fungus that causes a disease called blastomycosis
Blastomycosis

Infection with a fungus called Blastomyces dermatitidis. The infection causes symptoms in about 50% of cases. It usually presents as a flu-like illness with fever, chills, productive cough, myalgia, arthralgia and…
Blasts

Immature blood cells. Leukemic blasts do not grow and age normally; they proliferate wildly and fail to mature
Bleb

A bladder-like structure more than 5 mm in diameter with thin walls that may be full of fluid. Also called a bulla
Blender experiment

See: Hershey-Chase experiment
Blepharitis

Inflammation of the eyelids. Blepharitis occurs in two forms, anterior and posterior: > >Anterior blepharitis affects the outside front of the eyelid, where the eyelashes are attached. The two most common causes of…
Blepharophimosis

Horizontal narrowing of the palpebral fissures (eye slits)
Blepharoplasty

Plastic surgery on the eyelids. Blepharoplasty may be done to correct ptosis (sagging eyelids), remove fatty bulges around the eyes, and eliminate hanging skin from the eyelids
Blepharospasm

Involuntary forcible closure of the eyelids. The first symptom may be uncontrollable blinking. Only one eye may be affected initially, but eventually both eyes are usually involved. The spasms may leave the eyelids…
Blighted ovum

A fertilized ovum (egg) that did not develop or whose development ceased at an early stage, before 6 or 7 weeks of gestation. On the ultrasound examination of a blighted ovum, only the gestational sac that normally…
Blind

1. Unable to see. Without part or all of the sense of sight.2. In a clinical trial, not to know the treatment given or received. The participant is not told whether they are in the experimental or control arm of the…
Blind spot

In ophthalmology, a blind spot is: > >A small area of the retina where the optic nerve enters the eye; this type of blind spot occurs normally in all eyes. >Any gap in the visual field corresponding to an area of the…
Blinded study

A study done in such a way that the patients or subjects do not know (is blinded as to) what treatment they are receiving to ensure that the results are not affected by a placebo effect (the power of suggestion)
Blindness

Loss of useful sight. Blindness can be temporary or permanent. Damage to any portion of the eye, the optic nerve, or the area of the brain responsible for vision can lead to blindness. There are numerous (actually…
Blindness, legal

See: Legal blindness
Blindness, night

Impaired vision in dim light and in the dark, due to impaired function of specific vision cells (namely, the rods) in the retina. The ability of our eyes to quickly view objects as they shift from light to dark areas…
Blister

A collection of fluid underneath the top layer of skin (epidermis). One that is more than 5 mm in diameter with thin walls and is full of watery fluid is called a bulla or a bleb. There are many causes of blisters…
Blister agent

See: Vesicant
Blister beetle

A blister beetle is one of a number of beetles that have historically been used in dried or powdered form for medicinal purposes to raise blisters on the skin. An example of a blister beetle is the so-called Spanish…
Blister, blood

A blister full of blood due to a pinch, bruise or repeated friction. A blister is medically termed a vesicle. One that is more than 5 mm in diameter with thin walls and is full of watery fluid is called a bulla or a…
Blister, fever

Fever: A small sore situated on the face or in the mouth that causes pain, burning, or itching before bursting and crusting over. The favorite locations are on the lips, chin or cheeks and in the nostrils. Less…
Blister, water

See: Water blister
Blistering agent

See: Vesicant
Block, caudal

See Caudal anesthesia
Blocker, beta adrenergic

A class of drugs, also more simply called beta blockers, that block beta-adrenergic substances such as adrenaline (epinephrine), a key agent in the 'sympathetic' portion of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. By…
Blockers, beta

A class of drugs that block beta-adrenergic substances such as adrenaline (epinephrine), a key agent in the 'sympathetic' portion of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. By blocking the action of the sympathetic…
Blood

The familiar red fluid in the body that contains white and red blood cells, platelets, proteins, and other elements. The blood is transported throughout the body by the circulatory system. Blood functions in two…
Blood bank

A place where blood is collected from donors, typed, separated into components, stored, and prepared for transfusion to recipients. A blood bank may be a separate free-standing facility or part of a larger laboratory in…
Blood blister

A blister full of blood due to a pinch, bruise or repeated friction. A blister is medically termed a vesicle. One that is more than 5 mm in diameter with thin walls and is full of watery fluid is called a bulla or a…
Blood cleaner

A process designed to eliminate most pathogens -- viruses, bacteria and fungi -- from donated blood. The process is termed 'pathogen inactivation.' It depends upon the fact that three components of blood that are given…