Medical terms - Letter P (page 29) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Pulmonary vein

One of four vessels that carry aerated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart. (The four are the right and left superior and inferior pulmonary veins). The pulmonary veins are the only veins that carry…
Pulmonology

The study and science of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the lungs. See also: Pulmonary medicine
Pulse

The rhythmic contraction and expansion of an artery due to the surge of blood from the beat of the heart. The pulse is most often measured by feeling the arteries of the wrist. There is also a pulse, although far…
Pulse, cannonball

See: Pulse, water hammer
Pulse, collapsing

See: Pulse, water hammer
Pulse, Corrigan

A pulse that is full and then suddenly collapses. Named for the Irish physician Dominic John Corrigan (1802-80) who described it in patients with aortic regurgitation due to a leaky aortic valve in the heart. Also…
Pulse, pistol-shot

See: Pulse, water hammer
Pulse, trip-hammer

See: Pulse, water hammer
Pulse, water hammer

A jerky pulse that is full and then collapses because of aortic insufficiency (when blood ejected into the aorta regurgitates back through the aortic valve into the left ventricle). This type of pulse was likened to a…
Pulseless disease

Takayasu disease. Called pulseless disease because inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis) can lead to reduced or absent pulses in the arms or legs. See: Takayasu disease
Pump-oxygenator

A machine that does the work both of the heart (pump blood) and the lungs (oxygenate the blood). Used, for example, in open heart surgery. Blood returning to the heart is diverted through the machine before returning it…
Punch biopsy

A biopsy performed using a punch, an instrument for cutting and removing a disk of tissue. For example, a punch biopsy of the skin may be done to make the diagnosis of a malignancy. See also: Skin biopsy
Puncture wound

An injury caused by a pointed object that pierces or penetrates the skin. Any puncture wound through tennis shoes (as with a nail) has a high risk of infection, because the foam in tennis shoes can harbor the bacteria…
Puncture, lumbar

A lumbar puncture or 'LP' is a procedure whereby spinal fluid is removed from the spinal canal for the purpose of diagnostic testing. It is particularly helpful in the diagnosis of inflammatory diseases of the central…
Pupil

The opening of the iris. The pupil may appear to open (dilate) and close (constrict) but it is really the iris that is the prime mover; the pupil is merely the absence of iris. The pupil determines how much light is let…
Pupil dilation test

An examination that enables an eye care professional to see more of the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye. Dilating (widening) the pupil permits the retina to be examined for signs of…
Purine

One of the two classes of bases in DNA and RNA. The purine bases are guanine (G) and adenine (A). Uric acid, the offending substance in gout, is a purine end-product
Purpura

1. A hemorrhagic area in the skin. The area of bleeding within the skin, by definition, is greater than 3 millimeters in diameter. The appearance of the purpura depends on age of the lesion. Early purpura is red and…
Purpura, acute thrombocytopenic

See: Schonlein-Henoch purpura.
Purpura, allergic

See: Schonlein-Henoch purpura
Purpura, anaphylactoid

See: Schonlein-Henoch purpura
Purpura, Henoch-Schonlein

See: Schönlein-Henoch purpura.
Purpura, Schonlein-Henoch

See: Schönlein-Henoch purpura
Purpura, thrombotic thrombocytopenic (TTP)

A life-threatening disease involving embolism and thrombosis (plugging) of the small blood vessels in the brain. TTP is characterized by platelet microthrombi (tiny traveling clots composed of platelets, the clotting…
Purulent

Pertaining to pus. Containing or composed of pus. The term 'purulent' is often used in regard to drainage. For example, gonorrhea in men usually causes a purulent discharge from the penis.
Pus

A thick whitish-yellow fluid which results from the accumulation of white blood cells (WBCs), liquified tissue and cellular debris. Pus is commonly a site of infection or foreign material in the body
Pustular psoriasis

A type of recurring psoriasis characterized by the appearance of pus-filed pimples and sores in clusters. It can be intensely painful, and hospitalization may be required
Pustule

A pustule is a small collection of pus in the top layer of skin (epidermis) or beneath it in the dermis. Pustules frequently form in sweat glands or hair follicles. Pus is a mixture of inflammatory cells and liquid. Put…
Pustulosis

A highly inflammatory skin condition resulting in large fluid-filled blister-like areas (pustules). Pustulosis typically occurs on the palms of the hands and/or the soles of the feet. The skin of these areas peels and…
Putamen

An area in the brain within a structure called the lentiform nucleus. The putamen may decrease in size as a result of damage in Huntington's disease. The word 'putamen' is from Latin, referring to that which falls off…
PUVA

PUVA stands for psoralen (P) and ultraviolet A (UVA) therapy in which the patient is exposed first to psoralens (drugs containing chemicals that react with ultraviolet light) and then to UVA light. PUVA is used to treat…
PV

Stands for polycythemia vera, a condition characterized by overproduction (proliferation) of red blood cells due to bone marrow disease (myeloproferative disorder). PV tends to evolve into acute leukemia or a condition…
PVB

Premature ventricular beat. See: Extrasystole
PVC

Premature ventricular contraction. See: Extrasystole
PVNS

Pigmented villonodular synovitis
PVS

Pigmented villonodular synovitis
PX

Medical abbreviation for prognosis
PXE

See pseudoxanthoma elasticum
Pyarthrosis

Infectious arthritis. Pyarthrosis is typically caused by a bacterial infection in the joint. Diagnosis is made by analysis of fluid that has been removed from the joint, including microscopic examination and culture…
Pycnodysostosis

Pycnodysostosis: An inherited disorder of the bone that causes short stature and abnormally dense brittle bones. Due to a defect in an enzyme: cathepsin K. The French artist Toulouse-Lautrec is thought to have…
Pyelo

Short for pyelonephritis, which is bacterial infection of the kidney. Pyelonephritis can be acute (sudden) or chronic (slow, subtle, and stubborn). It is most often due to the ascent of bacteria from the bladder up the…
Pyelogram

X-ray study of the kidney especially showing the pelvis (urine-collecting basin) of the kidney and the ureter.
Pyelonephritis

Bacterial infection of the kidney. Pyelonephritis can be acute (sudden) or chronic (slow, subtle, and stubborn). It is most often due to the ascent of bacteria from the bladder up the ureters to infect the kidneys. The…
Pyelonephritis in children

Kidney infection in children. See: Urinary tract infection in children
Pyloric stenosis

Narrowing (stenosis) of the outlet of the stomach so that food cannot pass easily from it into the duodenum, resulting in feeding problems and projectile vomiting. The obstruction can be corrected by a relatively simple…
Pylorus

The outlet of the stomach.
Pyoderma gangrenosum

An ulcerating condition of the skin leading to hollowed-out areas (ulcers) with heaped-up borders and a typical appearance. The lesion(s) usually begin as soft raised nodules on the skin which proceed to ulcerate. The…
Pyridoxine

One of the vitamin B6 group (which also includes pyridoxal and pyridoxamine) that is transformed in the body to pyridoxal phosphate, which functions as a coenzyme, a substance that enhances the action of an enzyme and…
Pyrimidine

One of the two classes of bases in DNA and RNA. The pyrimidine bases are thymine (T) and cytosine (C) in DNA and thymine (T) and uracil (U) in RNA.
Pyrophosphate arthropathy

Joint damage due to deposition of calcium pyrophosphate. Pyrophosphate arthropathy most commonly affects the knees, wrists and knuckles and tends to be symmetrical