Medical terms - Letter C
1,581 terms start with the letter C.
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CT, electron beam
Also known as Ultrafast CT (computerized tomography), this is a new (and controversial) noninvasive test for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD). It is designed to measure calcium deposits in the coronary…
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CT, Ultrafast
Electron beam computerized tomography (EBCT), a new (and controversial) noninvasive test for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD). Ultrafast computerized tomography (CT) is designed to measure calcium deposits…
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CTL
Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte
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CTS
One of a group of proteins that regulate the cell cycle. The cyclins bind to and activate cyclin-dependent kinases. The cyclins include cyclin A, cyclin B, cyclin C, cyclin D, cyclin E, cyclin F, cyclin G, cyclin H…
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Cubital
1. Pertaining to the elbow.2. Pertaining to the forearm and hand.3. Pertaining to the ulna.From the Latin cubitum meaning elbow or cubit. The cubit was a unit of length based on the length of the forearm from the elbow…
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Cubital tunnel
The opening between the two heads of a muscle through which the ulnar nerve passes at the elbow and enters the forearm. (The muscle is called the flexor carpi ulnaris.) Compression of the ulnar nerve in this passageway…
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Cubital tunnel syndrome
A form of mononeuropathy due to compression or other injury of the ulnar nerve at the elbow. Symptoms of the cubital tunnel syndrome may include pain and numbness along the ulnar aspect (the little finger side) of the…
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Cubitus
1. The elbow.2. The forearm and hand.3. The ulna.From the Latin cubitus meaning elbow. The adjective is cubital
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Cubitus valgus
A deformity of the elbow resulting in an increased carrying angle (so that, with the arm extended at the side and the palm facing forward, the forearm and hand are held at greater than 15 degrees). Cubitus valgus can be…
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Cubitus varus
A deformity of the elbow resulting in a decreased carrying angle (so that, with the arm extended at the side and the palm facing forward, the forearm and hand are held at less than 5 degrees). There is deviation of the…
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Cuboid bone
The cuboid bone is the outer bone in the instep of the foot. It is called the cuboid bone because it is shaped like a cube. The cuboid bone articulates posteriorly (it has a joint in back) with the calcaneus (the heel…
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Cul-de-sac
A viewer writes regarding the term 'cul-de-sac': 'I know we live on one. Is there a medical meaning for it?' The answer is of course: 'Yes' (or you'd not be reading this here). An anatomic cul-de-sac is a blind pouch or…
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Culdocentesis
The puncture and aspiration (withdrawal) of fluid from the cul-de-sac, the rectouterine pouch (the pouch of Douglas), an extension of the peritoneal cavity between the rectum and back wall of the uterus. The word…
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Culdoscope
The viewing tube (endoscope) introduced through the end of the vagina into the cul-de-sac. The cul-de-sac is also called the rectouterine pouch (the pouch of Douglas), an extension of the peritoneal cavity between the…
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Culdoscopy
The introduction of a viewing tube (called an endoscope or culdoscope) through the end of the vagina into the cul-de-sac. The cul-de-sac is also called the rectouterine pouch (the pouch of Douglas), an extension of the…
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Culture
A culture is the propagation of microorganisms in a growth media. Any body tissue or fluid can be evaluated in the laboratory by culture techniques in order to detect and identify infectious processes. Culture…
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Cup, optic
The white, cup-like area in the center of the optic disc. The optic disk is the circular area at the back of the inside of the eye where the optic nerve connects to the retina
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Cupping
1. A cup-shaped depression, as in the head of the optic nerve in the eye. 2. Treatment in which a cup is attached to the skin surface, usually on the back and the air within the cup is evacuated to suck the skin in and…
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Curable
Amenable to a cure, capable of being cured, to being healed and made well. Most skin cancers, fortunately, are curable. From the word cure, from the Latin cura meaning care, concern or attention
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Curare
A muscle relaxant used in anesthesia (and, in the past, in arrow poisons by South American Indians). Curare competes with acetylcholine, a chemical that carries information between nerve and muscle cells, and blocks…
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Curcumin
A mixture of compounds derived from the curry spice turmeric. Curcumin is sold in the US as a herbal supplement. It has been alleged to have antioxidant, antiviral, antiinflammatory, anticancer, and cholesterol-lowering…
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Cure
1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. Cures are easy to claim and, all too often, difficult to confirm. 2. A time without recurrence of a disease so that the risk of recurrence is small, as in the 5-year…
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Curettage
The removal of growths or other material from the wall of a cavity or other surface, as with a curet. A curet, or curette, is a spoon-shaped instrument with a sharp edge. The word 'curette' comes from French and means a…
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Curette
A spoon-shaped instrument with a sharp edge. The word 'curette' comes from the French and means a 'scraper.' The French verb 'curer' is 'to scrape clean.
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Curettement
Curettage
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Curie (Ci)
A unit of radioactivity. (Specifically, the quantity of any radioactive nuclide in which the number of disintegrations per second is 3.7 X 10 to the 10th). Named for Marie and Pierre Curie who did pioneering research in…
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Currarino syndrome
Failure of formation of all or part of the sacrum (the lowest section of the spine). Currarino syndrome is a condition characterized by the combination of: > >Partial absence of the sacrum (the lowest portion of spine)…
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Curse, Ondine's
Failure from birth of central nervous system control over breathing while asleep. There are usually no breathing problems while awake. The involuntary (autonomic) control of respiration is impaired, but the voluntary…
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Cushing syndrome
Cushing syndrome: The constellation of symptoms and signs caused by an excess of cortisol hormone. Cushing syndrome is an extremely complex hormonal condition that involves many areas of the body. Common symptoms are…
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Cushing, Harvey
Renowned American neurosurgeon (1869-1939) whose name is now associated with Cushing syndrome (Cushing disease), the Cushing phenomenon, Cushing ulcer, Cushing-Rokitansky ulcer, Bailey-Cushing syndrome, Cushing's clip…
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Cushingoid
Having the constellation of symptoms and signs caused by an excess of cortisol hormone: that is, Cushing syndrome. While facial puffiness and weight gain are typical features of a Cushingoid appearance, cushing syndrome…
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Cusp
In reference to heart valves, one of the triangular segments of the valve which opens and closes with the flow of blood. In reference to teeth, a raised area of the biting surface.
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Cut
An area of severed skin. Wash a cut or scrape it with soap and water, and keep it clean and dry. Putting alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or iodine into a wound can delay healing, and should be avoided. Seek medical care if…
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Cutaneous
Relating to the skin. As, for example, in cutaneous allodynia, a cutaneous papilloma, and cutaneous syndactyly. From the Latin cutis meaning skin
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Cutaneous allodynia
Pain resulting from an innocuous stimulus to normal skin or scalp. The stimulus that triggers allodynia is not normally painful. The pain can be provoked by combing or brushing the hair, shaving, showering, wearing…
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Cutaneous papilloma
A small tag of skin that may have a stalk (a peduncle). Cutaneous papillomas may appear on the skin almost anywhere although the favorite locales are the eyelids, neck, armpits (axillae), upper chest, and groin…
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Cutaneous syndactyly
A condition in which fingers or toes are joined together, and the joining involves only the skin, not the bones. Cutaneous syndactyly is the opposite of bony syndactyly, in which the bones are of the digits are joined
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Cutis
The skin. Cutis marmorata is marble skin, a normal response to cold. The word cutis is Latin for skin. See also: Cutis anserina; Cutis laxa
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Cutis anserina
Better known as goose bumps, a temporary local change in the skin when it becomes rougher due to erection of little muscles, as from cold, fear, or excitement. The chain of events leading to this skin change starts with…
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Cutis laxa
A dermatologic condition characterized by unusually loose skin which may hang in pendulous folds. Cutis laxa is usually a genetic disorder. A mild autosomal dominant form can be caused by mutation in the elastin gene…
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Cuts
Severed skin. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and dry is all that is required to care for most wounds. Putting alcohol hydrogen peroxide, and iodine into a wound can delay healing and…
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Cutting for the stone
The removal of kidney or bladder stones by surgery. The procedure is today called lithotomy. In the first surgical procedure at the Newcastle Infirmary in 1751, cutting for the stone produced a bladder stone from an…
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CVA
Cerebrovascular accident
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CVC
Commonly used abbreviation for a Central Venous Catheter, a catheter (tube) that is passed through a vein to end up in the thoracic (chest) portion of the vena cava (the large vein returning blood to the heart) or in…
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CVS
1. Chorionic villus sampling, a procedure for first-trimester prenatal diagnosis. 2. Cyclic vomiting syndrome, also known as abdominal migraine
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CWD
Chronic wasting disease
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CXCR4
A chemokine receptor found on a wide variety of cells that serves as the coreceptor for HIV. HIV strains that use CXCR4 are referred to as X4 viruses
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Cyanide
>First, get fresh air by leaving the area where the cyanide was released. Moving to an area with fresh air is a good way to reduce the possibility of death from exposure to cyanide gas. >If the cyanide release was…
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Cyanogen chloride
See: Cyanide
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Cyanosis
A bluish color of the skin and the mucous membranes due to insufficient oxygen in the blood. For example, the lips may show cyanosis. Cyanosis can be evident at birth, as in a 'blue baby' who has a heart malformation…