Medical terms - Letter C (page 21) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Collarbone

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…
Collateral

In anatomy, a collateral is a subordinate or accessory part. A collateral is also a side branch, as of a blood vessel or nerve. After a coronary artery occlusion, collaterals (that is, collateral vessels) often develop…
Collateral knee ligament, lateral

The knee joint is surrounded by a joint capsule with ligaments strapping the inside and outside of the joint (collateral ligaments) as well as crossing within the joint (cruciate ligaments). These ligaments provide…
Collateral knee ligament, medial

The knee joint is surrounded by a joint capsule with ligaments strapping the inside and outside of the joint (collateral ligaments) as well as crossing within the joint (cruciate ligaments). These ligaments provide…
Coloboma

A congenital malformation (birth defect) in which part of the eye does not form due to failure of fusion of an embryonic feature called the intraocular fissure. The resultant coloboma can be likened to a missing slice…
Colography, computed tomography

Virtual colonoscopy
Colon

The part of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum as a long hollow tube that serves to remove water from digested food and let the remaining material, solid waste called stool, move through it to…
Colon cancer

Colon cancer: A malignancy that arises from the inner lining of the colon. Most, if not all, of these cancers develop from colonic polyps. Removal of these precancerous polyps can prevent colon cancer. Colon polyps and…
Colon cancer and polyps

Colon cancer and polyps: Benign tumors of the large intestine are called polyps. Malignant tumors of the large intestine are called cancers. Benign polyps do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the…
Colon cancer family history

A family history of colorectal cancer (CRC). First-degree relatives of people with CRC are themselves at a 2 to 3-fold increased risk of colorectal cancer. (Parents, brothers and sisters, and children are first-degree…
Colon cancer risk

See: Colon cancer family history
Colon cancer, family history of

The presence of a history of colorectal cancer in a family. The colon cancer risk is higher if an immediate (first-degree) family member (parents, siblings or children) had colorectal cancer and even higher if more than…
Colon polyp

A fleshy growth on the inside (the lining) of the colon (the large intestine). Colon polyps are extremely common. Their incidence increases as individuals get older. Half of all people over the age of 60 harbor at least…
Colon polyp family history

See: Colon cancer family history
Colon syndrome, nervous

A common gastrointestinal disorder involving an abnormal condition of gut contractions (motility) characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, mucous in stools, and irregular bowel habits with alternating diarrhea and…
Colonic

1. See: Colonic (adjective). 2. See: Colonic (noun)
Colonic (adjective)

Relating to the colon, that part of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum. For a personal example, I had 17 colonic polyps removed by colonoscopy.
Colonic (noun)

Colonic irrigation, the infusion of liquid into the colon through a tube in the rectum. It is claimed that colonics 'detoxify' and 'cleanse' the body and have other health benefits. There is no convincing scientific…
Colonic adenoma family history

See: Colon cancer family history
Colonoscope

A flexible, lighted instrument used to view the inside of the colon.
Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy: A procedure in which a long flexible viewing tube (a colonoscope) is threaded up through the rectum for the purpose of inspecting the entire colon and rectum and, if there is an abnormality, taking a biopsy…
Colonoscopy, virtual

See: Virtual colonoscopy
Colony-stimulating factor

A laboratory-made agent similar to a substance in the body that stimulates the production of blood cells. Treatment with colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) can help the blood- forming tissue recover from the effects of…
Color hearing

A form of chromesthesia in which hearing a musical tone elicits the perception of a color. In one case, an art teacher had a broad range of consistent linkages between tone and color. For her, high octaves tended to…
Color, eye

See: Eye color. See also: EYCL1; EYCL2; EYCL3
Color, skin

See: Skin color
Colorblindness

The inability to perceive colors in a normal fashion. The most common forms of colorblindness are inherited as sex-linked (X-linked) recessive traits. Females are carriers and males are affected. As a result…
Colorblindness, red-green

A form of colorblindness in which red and green are perceived as identical. This is the most common type of colorblindness. It is also known as deuteranomaly, deuteranopia, and Daltonism. The term 'Daltonism' is derived…
Colorectal

Related to the colon and/or rectum
Colorectal adenoma and carcinoma 1

Abbreviated CRAC1. Also known as hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome. See: Hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome
Colorectal adenoma family history

See: Colon cancer family history
Colorectal adenomatous polyposis, recessive

Autosomal recessive form of colorectal adenomatous polyposis, See: MYH
Colorectal cancer

Cancer of the colon and rectum. A malignant tumor arising from the inner wall of the large intestine. Risk factors include heredity, colon polyps, and long standing ulcerative colitis. Most colorectal cancers develop…
Colorectal cancer family history

See: Colon cancer family history
Colorectal cancer risk

See: Colon cancer family history
Colorectal polyp

A polyp (a fleshy growth) on the inside lining of the colon or rectum. For more information, see: Colon polyp
Colorectal surgeon

A general surgeon who has had further training and is expert in the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus
Coloscopy

See: Colonoscopy
Colostomy

An alternative exit from the colon created to divert waste through a hole in the colon and through the wall of the abdomen. A colostomy is commonly performed by severing the colon to attach the end leading to the…
Colostomy bag

A removable, disposable bag that attaches to the exterior opening of a colostomy (stoma) to permit sanitary collection and disposal of bodily wastes
Colostomy, a patient's perspective

For an excellent article about colostomy from a patient's viewpoint, please see Colostomy - A Patient's Perspective by Craig J. McCracken
Colostomy, iliac

A colostomy in which the exterior opening (stoma) is located on the lower left side of the abdomen
Colostomy, transverse

A colostomy in which the exterior opening (stoma) is located on the upper abdomen
Colostrum

A sticky white or yellow fluid secreted by the breasts during the second half of pregnancy and for a few days after birth before the breast milk comes in
Colpo-

A group of diagnostic and therapeutic disciplines that are used together with conventional medicine. An example of a complementary therapy is using aromatherapy to help lessen a patient's discomfort following surgery…
Colpocephaly

A brain disorder in which there is an abnormal enlargement of the occipital horns of the brain --the posterior or rear portion of the lateral ventricles (cavities or chambers) of the brain. This enlargement occurs when…
Colpopexy

The use of surgical-quality stitches to bring a displaced vagina back into position against the abdominal wall
Colpoptosis

A condition in which the vagina has dropped from its normal position against the abdominal wall
Colporrhaphy

Surgical repair of the vagina. The -rrhaphy part of the word comes from the Greek raphe meaning suture
Colposcope

A lighted magnifying instrument used by a gynecologist to examine the tissues of the vagina and the cervix. The procedure is called colposcopy.