Medical terms - Letter M (page 19) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Multidetector CT

See: Multidetector computed tomography
Multidetector-row computed tomography

See: Multidetector computed tomography
Multidetector-row CT

See: Multidetector computed tomography
Multifactorial

Multiple factors. Multifactorial inheritance is the type of hereditary pattern seen when there is more than one genetic factor involved and, sometimes, when there are also environmental factors participating in the…
Multifactorial inheritance

The type of hereditary pattern seen when there is more than one genetic factor involved and, sometimes, when there are also environmental factors participating in the causation of a condition. Many common traits are…
Multifocal

Having to do with two or more foci or arising from two or more places. For example, aortic aneurysm disease is often multifocal and needs total aortic screening for diagnosis
Multipara

A woman who has had 2 or more pregnancies resulting in potentially viable offspring. A woman who is 'para III' has had 3 such pregnancies. A woman who is 'para VI' or more is called a grand multipara.
Multipara, grand

The term 'multipara' applies to any woman who has given birth 2 or more times. A woman who has given birth 5 or more times is called a grand multipara. For a pregnancy to count as a 'birth,' it must go to at least 20…
Multiparous

1) Having two or more offspring at one birth. 2) Related to a multipara. See also uniparous.
Multiple abortions

Two or more miscarriages (spontaneous abortions) by a woman. Couples who have had multiple abortions have about a 5% chance that one member of the couple is carrying a chromosome translocation responsible for the…
Multiple daily injections

Abbreviated MDI. Several shots every day as of insulin to provide tight control of blood sugar
Multiple lentigines syndrome

See: LEOPARD syndrome
Multiple miscarriage

More than one miscarriage for a woman. In multiple miscarriages, there is about a 5 percent chance that one member of the couple is carrying a chromosome translocation responsible for the miscarriages. Other causes of…
Multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma: A malignancy of plasma cells (a form of lymphocyte) that typically involves multiple sites within the bone morrow and secretes all or part of a monoclonal antibody . Also called plasma cell myeloma.
Multiple organ failure

A term synonymous with multiple system failure and equally vague and nonspecific. See: Multiple system failure
Multiple personality disorder

A neurosis in which the personality becomes dissociated into two or more distinct parts each of which becomes dominant and controls behavior from time to time to the exclusion of the other parts
Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis: Abbreviated MS. A disease of the central nervous system (CNS) marked by numbness, weakness, loss of muscle coordination, and problems with vision, speech, and bladder control. MS is an autoimmune…
Multiple subpial transection

A multiple subpial transect(MST) is a procedure is used to help control seizures that begin in areas of the brain that cannot be safely removed. The surgeon makes a series of shallow cuts (transections) in the brain…
Multiple symmetric lipomatosis

A disorder characterized by painless symmetrical diffuse deposits of fat beneath the skin of the neck, upper trunk, arms and legs. The condition is thought to be genetic although its exact mode of inheritance is…
Multiple system atrophy

See: Shy-Drager syndrome, which is also known as multiple system atrophy with postural hypotension
Multiple system failure

The failure of two or more systems in the body as, for example, the cardiovascular and renal systems. Multiple system failure is also known as multiple organ failure, as when both the heart and kidney give out. Multiple…
Multisection computed tomography

See: Multidetector computed tomography
Multisection CT

See: Multidetector computed tomography
Multislice computed tomography

See: Multidetector computed tomography
Multislice CT

See: Multidetector computed tomography
Mumps

Mumps: An acute (sudden, shortlived) viral illness that usually presents with inflammation of the salivary glands, particularly the parotid glands. A child with mumps often looks like a chipmunk with a full mouth due to…
Mumps immunization

The standard MMR vaccine is given to prevent measles, mumps and rubella (German measles). The MMR vaccine is now given in two dosages. The first should be given at 12-15 months of age. The second vaccination should be…
Mumps in pregnancy

Mumps vaccination is not recommended during or shortly before pregnancy because it is a live attenuated vaccine, and so carries a risk of causing mumps infection. When contracted in pregnancy, mumps can cause early…
Munchausen syndrome

(This is an alternate entry to Munchhausen syndrome with two h's in Munchhausen. Whole medical reports have been written about the Munchausen syndrome incorrectly written with one h.) Recurrent feigning of catastrophic…
Munchhausen by proxy

See: Munchhausen syndrome by proxy
Munchhausen syndrome

Syndrome: Recurrent feigning of catastrophic illnesses. Munchhausen syndrome is a psychological disorder that is characterized by the recurrent presentation of the patient for treatment of an acute and often dire…
Munchhausen syndrome

(This is an alternate entry to Munchhausen syndrome. Münchhausen has an umlaut over the u but it is sometimes written as 'Munchhausen' without the umlaut in English.) A recurrent feigning of catastrophic illnesses, a…
Munchhausen syndrome by proxy

A parenting disorder in which the parent either fabricates an illness or induces an illness in their child. Munchhausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) differs from other forms of parenting disorder in that the offending…
Murine typhus

An acute infectious disease with fever, headache, and rash, all quite similar to, but milder than, epidemic typhus, caused by a related microorganism, Rickettsia typhi (mooseri), transmitted to humans by rat fleas…
Murmur

A sound due to vibrations from the flow of blood through the heart or great vessels. A murmur may be innocent and be of no significance. Or it may be pathologic and reflect disease. A murmur is usually heard with a…
Muromonab-CD3

A murine monoclonal antibody. See: OKT3
Murray Valley encephalitis

A viral encephalitis first recognized in the Murray Valley, in Victoria, Australia, caused by a flavivirus that infects birds is transmitted by mosquitoes. Children are the most seriously affected. Patients may have…
Mus musculus

The laboratory mouse
Mus musculus genome

All of the genetic information contained in Mus musculus, the laboratory mouse. The genomes of particular nonhuman organisms such as the mouse have been studied for a number of reasons including the need to improve…
Muscle

Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. There are three types of muscle in the body. Muscle which is responsible for moving extremities and external areas of the body is called…
Muscle biopsy

A minor surgical procedure done under local anesthetic using a needle or a small incision to remove a small sample of muscle. The procedure may be done to confirm a clinical diagnosis, distinguish between nerve and…
Muscle cramp

An involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax. When we use the muscles such as those of our arms and legs that can voluntarily be controlled, they alternately contract and relax as we move our…
Muscle relaxant

Muscle relaxant is a term usually used to refer to skeletal muscle relaxants (drugs), which act on the central nervous system (CNS) to relax muscles. These drugs are often prescribed to reduce pain and soreness…
Muscle, abductor

Any muscle used to pull a body part away from the midline of the body. For example, the abductor muscles of the legs spread the legs away from the midline and away from one another. The word 'abductor' comes from the…
Muscle, adductor

Any muscle that pulls a body part toward the midline of the body. For example, the adductor muscles of the legs pull the legs toward the midline of the body so the legs are closer together. The word 'adductor' comes…
Muscle, cardiac

A type of muscle with unique features only found in the heart. The cardiac muscle is the muscle of the heart and medically is called the myocardium ('myo-' being the prefix denoting muscle)
Muscle, central core disease of

One of the muscles that relax the zonules to enable the lens to change shape for focusing. The zonules are fibers that hold the lens suspended in position and enable it to change shape during accommodation.
Muscle, ciliary

One of the muscles that relax the zonules to enable the lens to change shape for focusing. The zonules are fibers that hold the lens suspended in position and enable it to change shape during accommodation.
Muscle, heart

A type of muscle with unique features only found in the heart. The heart or cardiac muscle is medically called the myocardium ('myo-' being the prefix denoting muscle)
Muscle, infraspinatus

>The infraspinatus muscle; >The teres minor muscle, which (like the infraspinatus muscle) helps in the outward turning (external rotation) of the arm; >The supraspinatus muscle, which is responsible for elevating the…