Medical terms - Letter L
554 terms start with the letter L.
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Lipoprotein
A complex of lipid and protein, the way lipids travel in the blood. Cholesterol, a building block of the outer layer of cells (cell membranes), is transported through the blood in the form of water- soluble carrier…
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Lipoproteins
Complexes of lipid and protein, the way lipids travel in the blood. Cholesterol, a building block of the outer layer of cells (cell membranes), is transported through the blood in the form of water-soluble carrier…
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Liposarcoma
A malignant tumor that arises in fat cells in deep soft tissue, such as that inside the thigh. Most frequent in middle-aged and older adults (age 40 and above), liposarcomas are the most common of all soft-tissue…
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Liposuction
Liposuction: The most common cosmetic operation in the U. S. with over 400,000 such surgical operations done annually, liposuction involves the surgical suctioning of fat deposits from specific parts of the body, the…
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Liposuction, tumescent
The surgical suctioning of fat deposits from specific parts of the body, the most common being the abdomen (the 'tummy'), buttocks ('behind'), hips, thighs and knees, chin, upper arms, back, and calves after pumping…
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Liposuction, ultrasonic-assisted
Liposuction, ultrasonic-assisted: Liposuction involves the surgical suctioning of fat deposits from specific parts of the body, the most common being the abdomen (the 'tummy'), buttocks ('behind'), hips, thighs and…
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Lips
Aside from the lips of the mouth, there are two pairs of lips at the entrance to the vagina. They are the labia majora (the larger outside pair) and the labia minora (the smaller inside pair). Together they form part of…
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Liquid diet
The Liquid diet is the restriction of solid food intake, and replacement of solid food with liquids. In hospitals, liquid diets are prescribed by doctors for a number of reasons for patients who are unable to consume…
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Liquid nitrogen
Nitrogen in a liquid state. Liquid nitrogen is supercool -- about 200 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit) below zero -- and is used for cryopreservation, cryosurgery, and cryomedicine. Liquid nitrogen is invaluable…
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Liquor cerebrospinalis
See: Cerebrospinal fluid
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Lissencephaly
A brain malformation characterized by microcephaly and the lack of normal convolutions (folds) in the brain. Lissencephaly literally means 'smooth brain.' It is caused by defective neuronal migration, a defect in the…
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Lissencephaly syndrome
See: Miller-Dieker syndrome
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Listeria
A group of bacteria capable of causing miscarriage (spontaneous abortion), stillbirth and premature birth and which can also cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and…
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Listeriosis
An important public health problem in N America involving infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The disease affects primarily pregnant women, newborns, and anyone with…
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Liter
A metric measure of capacity that, by definition, is equal to the volume of a kilogram of water at 4 degrees centigrade and at standard atmospheric pressure of 760 millimeters of mercury. > >Metric equivalents -- There…
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Lithium
Lithium: Lithium carbonate (brand names: Eskalith; Lithobid), a drug used as a mood stabilizer for the treatment of manic/depressive (bipolar) disorder. It prevents or diminishes the intensity of episodes of mania in…
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Lithium carbonate
See: Lithium
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Litho-
See: Lithium.
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Lithobid
See: Lithium
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Lithotomy
Surgical removal of a stone, especially a kidney or bladder stone. From the Greek roots litho-, stone + tome, a cutting. Lithotomy was once called 'cutting for the stone.
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Lithotomy position
Position in which the patient is on their back with the hips and knees flexed and the thighs apart. The position is often used for vaginal examinations and childbirth
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Lithotripsy
A procedure to break a stone into small particles that can be passed in the urine.
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Lithotripsy, extracorporeal shock wave
See: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy
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Lithotripsy, percutaneous nephro- (PNL)
A technique for removing large and/or dense stones and staghorn stones. PNL is done via a port created by puncturing the kidney through the skin and enlarging the access port to 1 cm (about 3/8 inch) in diameter. There…
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Lithotriptor
A stone crushing machine used to shatter kidney stones and gallstones by physical or other means such as with a shock wave. There are several methods available for producing an acoustical or ultrasonic 'big bang' which…
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Litmus
A pigment used as a test for acidity and alkalinity. Litmus paper turns red in acid and blue in an alkaline solution. Litmus is prepared from lichens like Roccella tinctoria. Figuratively, a litmus test is a decision in…
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Litmus test
1. A test to determine the acidity and alkalinity of a solution. See: Litmus. 2. Figuratively, any test in which a single factor is decisive
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Little lady of Flores
The first skeleton, that of a diminuitive female, found on the Indonesian island of Flores belonging to a new human-like species -- Homo floresiensis
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Little People of America
An organization for people of short stature whose mission is to assist dwarfs with their physical and developmental concerns resulting from short stature. By networking with other national and international…
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Live animal market
See: Wet market
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Livedo reticularis
A mottled purplish discoloration of the skin. Livedo reticularis can be a normal condition that is simply more obvious when a person is exposed to the cold. Livedo reticularis can also be an indicator of impaired…
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Liver
An organ in the upper abdomen that aids in digestion and removes waste products and worn-out cells from the blood. The liver is the largest solid organ in the body. The liver weighs about three and a half pounds (1.6…
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Liver biopsy
Liver biopsy: A procedure in which a small sample of the liver is removed for the diagnosis of abnormal liver conditions. There are several methods of obtaining biopsies of the liver, but unless it is an unusual…
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Liver cancer, adult primary
A tumor in which the cancer starts during adulthood in cells in the liver. Also called hepatocellular carcinoma. Primary liver cancer is different from cancer that has metastasized (spread) from another place in the…
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Liver cancer, childhood
See: Childhood liver cancer
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Liver disease
Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large organ in the upper right abdomen that aids in digestion and removes waste products from the blood. Liver disease includes the following conditions…
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Liver fluke
Fasciola hepatica
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Liver of pregnancy, acute fatty
Liver failure in late pregnancy, usually from unknown cause. Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) typically occurs in first-time pregnancies in the last trimester. AFLP causes nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain…
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Liver shunt
Transjugular, intrahepatic, portosystemic shunt (TIPS), is a shunt (tube) placed between the portal vein which carries blood from the intestines to the liver and the hepatic vein which carries blood from the liver back…
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Liver spot
A pigmented flat spot on sun-exposed skin in older adults, especially on the back of the hands and on the forehead. Liver spots are benign. Medically called a senile lentigo
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Liver transplant
Liver transplant: Surgery to remove a diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver (or part of one) from a donor. The most common reasons for liver transplantation in children is biliary atresia (a disease in…
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Liver transplantation, living donor
See: Living donor liver transplantation
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Livid
Black and blue.
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Living donor liver transplantation
An option for patients who need a liver transplant. In this procedure, a healthy person (usually a family member, friend or co-worker) donates a portion of their liver to the transplant patient. One of the two lobes of…
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Living will
A living will is one form of advance medical directive. Advance medical directives pertain to treatment preferences and the designation of a surrogate decision-maker in the event that a person should become unable to…
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Lizard bite
Only two types of lizards are poisonous: the Gila monster that lives in Arizona and Mexico and the beaded lizard of Mexico. Symptoms from their bites of these include pain, swelling, and discoloration in the area around…
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LKS
1. Lower lid (of the eye). 2. Lower limit. The recommended LL for potassium intake is 4.7 grams per day for adults.
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LL
1. Lower lid (of the eye). 2. Lower limit. The recommended LL for potassium intake is 4.7 grams per day for adults
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LLL
Acronym for the left lower lobe (of the lung). The left lung has but two lobes. The other lobe is the left upper lobe (LUL). The right lung has three lobes: the right lower lobe (RLL), the right middle lobe (RML), and…
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LLQ
Abbreviation for the left lower quadrant (quarter). The LLQ of the abdomen contains the descending portion of the colon. (By contrast, RUQ stands for the right upper quadrant, LUQ stands for the left upper quadrant, and…