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

Catheterization, venous

The insertion of a tiny tube (a catheter) into a peripheral or central vein to deliver fluids or medication. This is the most frequently used method for the administration of intravenous (IV) fluids and IV meds…
Cathexis

In psychiatry, the concentration of psychic energy on an idea, object, or other object
Cation

In chemistry, a positively charged ion. Pronounced cat-I-on. A cation is as opposed to an anion, which is a negatively charged ion.
Cauda equina

A bundle of spinal nerve roots that arise from the bottom end of the spinal cord. The cauda equina comprises the roots of all the spinal nerve roots below the level of the first lumbar (L1) vertebra, namely the sacral…
Cauda equina syndrome

Impairment of the nerves in the cauda equina, the bundle of spinal nerve roots that arise from the lower end of the spinal cord. The syndrome is characterized by dull pain in the lower back and upper buttocks and lack…
Caudad

An anatomic term meaning 1. Pertaining to the tail or the hind part. 2. Situated in or directed toward the tail or hind part. 3. Inferior to another structure, in the sense of being below it. Caudal is also short for…
Caudal

An anatomic term meaning 1. Pertaining to the tail or the hind part. 2. Situated in or directed toward the tail or hind part. 3. Inferior to another structure, in the sense of being below it. Caudal is also short for…
Caudal anesthesia

Anesthesia produced by injection of a local anesthetic into the caudal canal, the sacral portion of the spinal canal. Caudal anesthesia is used to provide anesthesia and analgesia (pain relief) below the umbilicus. It…
Caudal block

See Caudal anesthesia
Caudal epidural anesthesia

See Caudal anesthesia
Caudate nucleus

In each hemisphere of the brain, the most medial of the four basal ganglia, partly responsible for body movement and coordination. So named because it looks anatomically tail-like (the Latin cauda, tail)
Caul

Or cowl, a membrane, in obstetrics and cooking. In obstetrics, the caul is the amnion, one of the two fetal membranes, the other being the chorion. To be born in a caul meant to be born with the head covered by the…
Cauliflower ear

Adding=0 width='100%' border=0> ODYvAlign=top bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2> vAlign=top width='100%' bgColor=#ffffff>Our Cauliflower ear Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of…
Cauliflower-ear deformity

Cauliflower-ear deformity: Destruction of the underlying cartilage framework of the outer ear (pinnae), usually caused by either infection or trauma, resulting in a thickening of the ear. Classically, blood collects…
Caulophyllum thalictroides

Blue cohosh
Causalgia

Intense burning pain and sensitivity to the slightest vibration or touch, usually in the hand or foot, at a site some distance removed from a wound that has healed. This phenomenon was first described in 1872 by the…
Causes of cancer

Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases. Benign tumors are not cancer; malignant tumors are cancer. Most cancers are named for the type of cell or the organ in which they begin. When cancer spreads…
Cauterization

The use of heat to destroy abnormal cells. Also called diathermy or electrodiathermy.
Caution codes, drug

Abbreviations on medications that indicate caution. While not a part of the historical heritage of ancient prescription abbreviations, drug caution codes provide very valuable warnings. They include both universal and…
Caveola

An tiny pit, grotto, depression, incupping in the surface of a cell. The name 'caveola' means little cave. The plural is caveolae. Caveolae normally function to facilitate the uptake of fluid by the cell. In the process…
Cavernous hemangioma

A type of hemangioma composed of blood-filled 'lakes' and channels. It is typically raised and red or purplish. A cavernous hemangioma may diminish in size following trauma, bleeding or ulceration but it rarely…
Cavernous sinus

A large channel of venous blood creating a 'sinus' cavity bordered by the sphenoid bone and the temporal bone of the skull. The cavernous sinus is an important structure because of its location and its contents which…
Cavernous sinus syndrome

A cavernous sinus thrombosis is a blood clot within the cavernous sinus, a large channel of venous blood in a cavity bordered by the sphenoid bone and the temporal bone of the skull. The cavernous sinus is an important…
Cavernous sinus thrombosis

A cavernous sinus thrombosis is a blood clot within the cavernous sinus, a large channel of venous blood in a cavity bordered by the sphenoid bone and the temporal bone of the skull. The cavernous sinus is an important…
Cavities

Cavities: Holes in the two outer layers of a tooth called the enamel and the dentin. The enamel is the outermost white hard surface and the dentin is the yellow layer just beneath enamel. Both layers serve to protect…
Cavity, abdominal

The cavity within the abdomen, the space between the abdominal wall and the spine. The abdominal cavity is hardly an empty space. It contains a number of crucial organs including the lower part of the esophagus, the…
Cavy

See: Guinea pig
CB1

See: Cannabinoid receptor 1
CB1 receptor

See: Cannabinoid receptor 1
CB2

See: Cannabinoid receptor 2.
CB2 receptor

See: Cannabinoid receptor 2
CBC

A commonly used abbreviation in medicine that stands for complete blood count, a set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These measurements are generally determined by specially designed machines that…
CBER

Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research: Part of the FDA (the US Food & Drug Administration)
CBT

Cognitive behavior therapy. See: Cognitive therapy
CC chemokine receptor 5

See: CCR5
CCCR5

See: CCR5
CCD (Central core disease of muscle)

One of the conditions that produces 'floppy baby' syndrome. CCD causes hypotonia (floppiness) in the newborn baby, slowly progressive muscle weakness, and muscle cramps after exercise. Muscle biopsy shows a key…
CCD (cleidocranial dysostosis)

>Absent or incompletely formed collar bones (the 'cleido-' part refers to the clavicles, the collar bones) The child with this disorder can bring its shoulders together or nearly so. >Typical cranial and facial…
CCHF

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
CCK

Cholecystokinin
CCL5

See: RANTES
CCP

Cyclic citrullinated peptide
CCR5

A chemokine receptor found on monocytes and lymphocytes that serves as the coreceptor for HIV. HIV strains that use this coreceptor are referred to as R5 viruses. Polymorphisms in the coding and non-coding regions of…
CD10

A cell surface enzyme with neutral metalloendopeptidase activity. CD10 is also known as CALLA (common acute lymphocytic leukemia antigen). It serves as a marker for the common form of ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia) as…
CD4

A large glycoprotein molecule found on the surface of T lymphocytes that serves as the receptor for HIV. The CD4 gene is on chromosome 12 in region 12pter-p12. CD4 is also called T4. See also: Absolute CD4 count
CD4 count, absolute

See: Absolute CD4 count
CD40

A receptor molecule on the cell surface of all mature B cells (B lymphocytes), most B-cell malignancies, and monocytes, dendritic cells (in the nervous system), endothelial cells (within blood vessels), and epithelial…
CD8+ T cell

See: Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte
CD95

See: FAS gene
CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US agency charged with tracking and investigating public health trends. The stated mission of the CDC is 'To promote health and quality of life by preventing and…