Medical terms - Letter O | MedicalVocabulary.org

OAE

Acoustic emission test) : OAE is an abbreviation for 'otoacoustic emission test' which measures an acoustic response that is produced by the inner ear (cochlea), which in essence bounces back out of the ear in response…
Oat cell cancer

A type of lung cancer in which the cells are small, round and resemble oats. Also called small cell lung cancer.
Oath of Maimonides

A prayer that is said to have been written by the 12th-century physician-philosopher Moses Maimonides. Like the famous oath of Hippocrates, the prayer of Maimonides is often recited by new medical graduates. This…
OB

Abbreviation for obstetrician or for obstetrics, the art and science of managing pregnancy, labor and the puerperium, the time immediately after delivery
OB/GYN

A commonly used abbreviation. OB is short for obstetrics or for an obstetrician, a physician who delivers babies. GYN is short for gynecology or for a gynecologist, a physician who specializes in treating diseases of…
Obese

Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obese if they are more than 20 percent over their ideal weight. That ideal weight must take into account the person's height, age, sex, and…
Obesity

Obesity: The state of being well above one's normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obese if they are more than 20 percent over their ideal weight. That ideal weight must take into account the…
Obesity, endogenous

Overweight caused by malfunction of the hormonal or metabolic system
Obesity, exogenous

Overweight caused by consuming more food than the person's activity level warrants, leading to increased fat storage
Obesity, gynecoid

>Gynecoid pelvis: A pelvis that is shaped like a woman's. >Gynecology: The study of the diseases of the female reproductive organs and the breasts. >Gynecomastia: Excessive development of the male breast (so that it is…
Obesity-related disease

Any disease for which obesity is a significant risk factor. Obesity increases the risk of developing a very large number of diseases, including: > >Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes >High blood pressure (hypertension)…
Objective

In a microscope, the objective (also called the objective lens) is the lens nearest to the object being examined whereas the lens closest to the eye is termed the ocular (the eyepiece). The light microscope today is…
OBS

1. Organic brain syndrome.2. Obstetricians, in the plural
Observer variation

Failure by the observer to measure accurately, resulting in error. Observer variation may be due to the observer's missing a measurement, making an incorrect measurement, or misinterpreting data. Inter-observer…
Obsessive-compulsive disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a pervasive preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and interpersonal control, beginning by early adulthood at latest. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) may…
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a pervasive preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and interpersonal control, beginning by early adulthood at latest. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) may…
Obstetrical forceps

An instrument with two blades and a handle designed to aid in the vaginal delivery of a baby. Forceps may be used to ease a delivery or because of problems with fetal distress or fetal position. The decision to use…
Obstetrician

A physician who delivers babies and is in the practice of obstetrics, the art and science of managing pregnancy, labor and the puerperium, the time immediately after delivery.
Obstetrician/gynecologist

An obstetrician is a physician who delivers babies and is in the practice of obstetrics while a gynecologist is a physician who specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive organs. The word 'gynecology'…
Obstetrics

The art and science of managing pregnancy, labor and the puerperium (the time after delivery)
Obstruction

Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal obstruction
Obstruction, airway

See: Airway obstruction
Obstruction, intestinal

See: Intestinal obstruction
Obstructive sleep apnea

Sleep apnea (OSA): Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. It owes its name to a Greek word, apnea, meaning 'want of breath.' There are two types of sleep…
Obtund

To dull or blunt. From the Latin obtundere, to blunt
Obtunded

Mentally dulled. A person may be obtunded due to head trauma. To obtund is to dull or blunt. From the Latin obtundere, to blunt
Obverse

The opposite, the opposite side, the counterpart. For example, mania is thought of as the obverse of depression just as heads is the obverse of tails on a coin.
Occam's razor

The principle of scientific or, in medicine, diagnostic parsimony or 'unitarianism.' In medicine, a clinician would like to be able to use Occam's razor and come up with a unifying diagnosis that will explain all of the…
Occipital

1. Pertaining to the occiput, the back of head. 2. Located near the occipital bone as, for example, the occipital lobe of the brain
Occipital bone

The bone that forms the rear and the rear bottom of the skull. The occipital bone encloses a large oval hole called the foramen magnum that allows passage of the spinal cord. The occipital bone articulates (joins) with…
Occipital hematoma

A hematoma (collection of blood) in the occipital region (at the back of the head). An occipital hematoma may be either subdural or epidural. In an occipital epidural hematoma, the bleeding occurs between the skull and…
Occiput

The back of the head. A direct borrowing of the Latin word for the part of the head opposite the front
Occlude

1 To close, obstruct, or prevent the passage. To occlude an artery is to occlude the flow of blood. 2 To bring together. To occlude the teeth is to align the upper and lower teeth, as for chewing
Occlusion

The act of occluding. See: Occlude
Occult

Hidden. Occult blood is hidden from the eye but is nonetheless present and can be detected by chemical tests. Spina bifida occulta is a hidden defect in the spinal column.
Occult stool blood test

A test to check for hidden blood in the feces, the stool
Occupational disease

A disease due to a factor in a person's occupation. For example, lung disease in miners. Occupational medicine was founded by the Italian physician Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714). His De Morbis Artificium (On…
Occupational medicine

The field of medicine encompassing occupational disease, diseases due to factors in people's occupations. For example, lung disease in miners. Occupational medicine was founded by the Italian physician Bernardino…
Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA, an agency of the US government (under the Department of Labor) with the responsibility of ensuring safety at work and a healthful work environment. OSHA's mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and…
Occupational Safety and Health, Nat'l Institut for

Better known as NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is a US Federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related disease and…
Occupational therapist

A licensed health professional who is trained to evaluate patients with joint conditions, such as arthritis, to determine the impact the disease on their activities of daily living. Occupational therapists can design…
OCD

1. Obsessive-compulsive disorder; 2. Osteochondritis dissecans.
Ocean itch

An intensely itchy rash due to contact with the tiny thimble jellyfish (Linuche unguiculata). These jellyfish are common between March and August in the waters off of Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean…
OCG

Oral cholecystogram
Ochronosis

1. Deposition of dark pigment in connective tissues, usually due to alkaptonuria or exposure to chemicals such as phenolic compounds or hydroquinone.2. Sometimes used as a synonym for alkaptonuria
OCP

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
OCPD

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Octalene

Trade name of the insecticide aldrin. See: Aldrin and dieldrin
Octalox

Trade name of the insecticide dieldrin. See: Aldrin and dieldrin
Octogenarian

Someone in his or her eighties, that is, between 80 and 89 years of age. See also: Age by decade