Medical terms - Letter C (page 28) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Cranial nerve, eleventh

The eleventh cranial nerve is the accessory nerve. The twelve cranial nerves, the accessory nerve included, emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium) as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the vertebral…
Cranial nerve, fifth

The fifth cranial nerve is the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve is quite complex. It functions both as the chief nerve of sensation for the face and the motor nerve controlling the muscles of mastication…
Cranial nerve, first

The cranial nerves emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the vertebral column. There are twelve cranial nerves. The first cranial nerve is the olfactory nerve…
Cranial nerve, fourth

The fourth cranial nerve, the trochlear nerve, is the nerve supply to the superior oblique muscle of the eye, one of the muscles that moves the eye. Paralysis of the trochlear nerve results in rotation of the eyeball…
Cranial nerve, ninth

The ninth cranial nerve is the glossopharyngeal nerve. The 12 cranial nerves, the glossopharyngeal nerve included, emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the…
Cranial nerve, second

The second cranial nerve is the optic nerve, the nerve that connects the eye to the brain and carries the impulses formed by the retina -- the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye, senses light and creates the…
Cranial nerve, seventh

The seventh cranial nerve is the facial nerve, a mixed nerve that has fibers both going out and coming in (both efferent and afferent fibers). It supplies the muscles of facial expression. Paralysis of the facial nerve…
Cranial nerve, sixth

The sixth cranial nerve is the abducent nerve. It is a small motor nerve that has one task: to supply a muscle called the lateral rectus muscle that moves the eye outward. Paralysis of the abducent nerve causes inward…
Cranial nerve, tenth

The tenth cranial nerve, and one of the most important, is the vagus nerve. All twelve of the cranial nerves, the vagus nerve included, emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves which…
Cranial nerve, third

The third cranial nerve is the oculomotor nerve. The cranial nerves emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the vertebral column. There are twelve cranial nerves…
Cranial nerve, twelfth

See: Twelfth cranial nerve
Cranial nerves

Nerves that emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the vertebral column. Cranial nerves come directly from the brain through the skull. There are 12 cranial…
Cranio-

Insufficient intake of nitrogen-containing food (protein) to maintain a nitrogen balance or nitrogen equilibrium. Children are particularly prone to develop protein malnutrition. To grow, children have to consume enough…
Craniocleidodysostosis

>Typical cranial and facial abnormalities with square skull, late closure of the sutures of the skull, late closure of the fontanels (the soft spots), low nasal bridge, delayed eruption of the teeth, abnormal permanent…
Craniology

The study of variations in size, shape, and proportion of the skull (cranium). Also known as phrenology, it was a pseudoscience of the 18th and 19th centuries based on the belief that a person's character could be…
Craniometaphyseal dysplasia

An inherited skeletal condition that involves abnormal bone formation and abnormal mineralization of the skull as well as the long bones. There is increased density of craniofacial bones beginning at the base of the…
Craniopagus

Conjoined twins whose heads are fused together. From cranio-, relating to the cranium + the Greek pagos, referring to something fixed. See also: Syncephaly; Janiceps
Craniopagus parasiticus

Conjoined twins joined at the head (craniopagus) in which a rudimentary head (with little or no body) is attached to the head of the larger and usually more normal twin. The rudimentary head was thought to be parasitic
Craniopharyngioma

A type of benign brain tumor that emerges develops from embryonic tissue that forms part of the pituitary gland. Pressure on the pituitary by the tumor reduces the availability of the hormone vasopressin, raising the…
Craniosynostosis

Premature fusion of the cranial sutures (the fibrous joints between the bones of the skull) in an infant, preventing normal growth of the baby's head. Craniosynostosis involving some but not all of the sutures causes an…
Craniotomy

A surgical operation in which an opening is made in the skull.
Cranium

The upper portion of the skull, which protects the brain. The bones of the cranium include the frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, sphenoid, ethmoid, lacrimal, and nasal bones; the concha nasalis; and the vomer
Crapulence

Sickness or indisposition resulting from an excess of drinking (or eating). Crapulence is an almost exact synonym for a hangover. See also: Crapulent
Crapulent

Ill from excessive drinking or eating. Surcharged with liquor, or sick with intemperance. The word comes from the Late Latin crapulentus (very drunk), from the Latin crapula (drunkenness). See: Crapulence.
CRC

1. Colorectal cancer or colorectal carcinoma. 2. Clinical Research Center. 3. Canadian Research Council
Cream

A word with many meanings that, in medicine and pharmacy, refers to a water-soluble preparation applied to the skin. An ointment differs from a cream in that it has an oil base
Crease, single transverse palmar

See: Simian crease
Creatine

A compound the body synthesizes (makes) and then utilizes to store energy. The storage of energy occurs when phosphate molecules are attached to creatine to create creatine phosphate. Creatine phosphate is capable of…
Creatinine

A chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism. Creatinine is produced from creatine, a molecule of major importance for energy production in muscles. Approximately 2% of the body's creatine is…
Creatinine clearance test

A test that helps determine whether the kidneys are functioning normally. Specifically, the creatinine-clearance test gauges the rate at which a waste, creatinine, is 'cleared' from the blood by the kidneys. Creatinine…
Crepitus

A clinical sign in medicine characterized by a peculiar crackling, crinkly, or grating feeling or sound under the skin, around the lungs, or in the joints. Crepitus in soft tissues is often due to gas, most often air…
CREST syndrome

A limited form of scleroderma, a disease of connective tissue with the formation of scar tissue (fibrosis) in the skin and sometimes also in other organs of the body. CREST stands for: > >C ... Calcinosis (the formation…
Cretinism

Congenital hypothyroidism (underactivity of the thyroid gland at birth) resulting in growth retardation, developmental delay and other abnormal features. Can be due to deficiency of iodine in the mother's diet during…
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

Spontaneous tearing in parallel with the normal salivation of eating. The crocodile tears syndrome occurs most often following facial paralysis when nerve fibers destined for a salivary gland are damaged and by mistake…
Crib death

The sudden and unexpected death of a baby with no known illness, typically affecting infants from 2 weeks to 6 months of age while sleeping. Crib death is now called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Babies at an…
Crick

1. A painful sudden spasmodic stiffness in the muscles of the neck or back. 2. Francis Crick who, with James Watson, devised the Watson-Crick model of DNA as a double helix. See: Crick, Francis
Crick, Francis

British biologist (1916-2004) who shared the 1962 Nobel prize in Medicine and Physiology with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins for 'discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance…
Crick-Brenner experiment

An elegant and important experiment performed in 1961 by Francis Crick and Sydney Brenner. The experiment proved that the genetic code was a triplet code and that the triplets were not separted by 'punctuation.' Crick…
Crime scene investigation

The use of physical evidence at the scene of the crime and the use of deductive and inductive reasoning to gain knowledge of the events surrounding the crime. Crime scene investigation is multidisciplinary and involves…
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Fever: A viral disease characterized by hemorrhage (bleeding) and fever. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe disease with a high mortality (death) rate. The geographical distribution of the virus, like…
Cripple

1. A person who is lame or disabled. 2. To maim or disable a person. The word 'cripple' is a medically outmoded and politically incorrect term. It comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'creopan' meaning 'to creep.' Someone who was…
Crippled

A medically outmoded and politically incorrect term that implies a serious loss of normal function through damage or loss of an essential body part or element. However, in the not-so-distant past there were US federal…
Crisis, midlife

See: Midlife crisis
Critical care

Intensive care. The specialized care of patients whose conditions are life-threatening and who require comprehensive care and constant monitoring, usually in intensive care units
Critical incident stress management

Cross-shaped. "Cruciate" comes from the Latin "crux" which means "cross". (That is the crux of this matter). The cruciate ligaments are so-named because they cross each other. For example, there are cruciate ligaments…
Crocodile tears syndrome

Spontaneous tearing in parallel with the normal salivation of eating. The crocodile tears syndrome occurs most often following facial paralysis when nerve fibers destined for a salivary gland are damaged and by mistake…
Crohn colitis

Crohn disease involving only the large intestine (colon). Crohn disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder, primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can affect other parts of the digestive system as…
Crohn enteris

Crohn's disease (regional enteritis) involving only the small intestine. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder, primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can affect other parts of the…
Crohn enterocolitis

See: Crohn disease
Crohn ileitis

Inflammation of the ileum (the farthest segment of the small intestine) due to Crohn disease. Crohn disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder, primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can affect…