Medical terms - Letter P (page 3) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Pancreatic beta cell

A type of cell in the pancreas that makes insulin. The pancreas is a fish-shaped organ that stretches across the back of the abdomen behind the stomach. Within the pancreas there are areas that are called the islets of…
Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer: Malignancy of the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer has been called a 'silent' disease because early pancreatic cancer usually does not cause symptoms. If the tumor blocks the common bile duct and bile…
Pancreatic carcinoma

See: Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic delta cell

A type of cell in the pancreas (the organ of the digestive system located behind the stomach). Within the pancreas, the delta cells are located in areas called the islets of Langerhans. The delta cells make…
Pancreatic insufficiency

Not enough of the digestive enzymes normally secreted by the pancreas into the intestine. Pancreatic insufficiency is a hallmark of cystic fibrosis. NTER> The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped organ about 6 inches long…
Pancreatic islet cell carcinoma

See: Islet cell cancer
Pancreatic juices

Inflammation of the pancreas. Of the many diverse causes of pancreatitis, the most common are alcohol and gallstones. The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped organ about 6 inches long. It is located in the back of the…
Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas. Of the many diverse causes of pancreatitis, the most common are alcohol and gallstones. NTER> The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped organ about 6 inches long. It is located in…
Pancreatitis, acute

See: Acute pancreatitis
Pancreozymin

See: Cholecystokinin
Pancytopenia

A shortage of all types of blood cells, including red and white blood cells as well as platelets.
Pancytopenia, Fanconi

See Fanconi anemia
PANDAS

An acronym for Pediatric Autoimmune Disorders Associated with Strep. PANDAS is the sudden onset of symptoms like those of obsessive-compulsive disorder or Tourette syndrome following infection with streptococcus…
Pandemic

An epidemic (a sudden outbreak) that becomes very widespread and affects a whole region, a continent, or the world. By contrast: > >An epidemic affects more than the expected number of cases of disease occurring in a…
Pandiculation

The act of stretching and yawning. (If you are in a public place, you might consider demonstrating the versatility of your vocabulary by saying: 'Sorry, but I feel the need to pandiculate.'). See also: Yawn
Panencephalitis, subacute sclerosing (SSPE)

A chronic brain disease of children and adolescents that occurs months to often years after an attack of measles, causing convulsions, motor abnormalities, mental retardation and, usually, death.
Panic

A sudden strong feeling of fear that prevents reasonable thought or action. From the Greek woodland god Pan who was a frightening figure, part human, part goat, and whose pet caprice was to terrify people who ventured…
Panic disorder

Panic disorder: A disorder characterized by sudden attacks of fear and panic. The episodes may resemble a heart attack. They may strike at any time and occur without a known reason but more frequently are triggered by…
Panmixus

Random mating
Pantothenic acid

Pantothenic acid is vitamin B5, one of the less well known B vitamins, perhaps because it is widely distributed in nature. Pantothenic acid is virtually ubiquitous. It is present in foods as diverse as poultry…
PAP

1. Prostatic acid phosphatase. 2. Pulmonary artery pressure
Pap Smear

Pap Smear: A screening test for cervical cancer based on the examination under the microscope of cells collected from the cervix, smeared on a slide and specially stained to reveal premalignant (before cancer) and…
Pap test

A screening test for cervical cancer based on the examination under the microscope of cells collected from the cervix, smeared on a slide and specially stained to reveal premalignant (before cancer) and malignant…
Pap test, ThinPrep

A modified Pap test technique designed to reduce some of the technical problems inherent in the traditional type of Pap smear. In the traditional Pap test, cell samples are obtained from the vagina, cervix, and cervical…
Papilla of Vater

See: Ampulla of Vater
Papilla, anal

See: Anal papilla
Papilla, cancer of

Cancer of: Cancer of a structure called the papilla or ampulla of Vater, a small muscle located at the junction where the common bile duct (carrying bile from the liver and secretions from the pancreas) empties into the…
Papilla, fungiform

The fungiform papillae are broad flat structures that house taste buds in the central portion of the dorsum (back) of the tongue. These papillae were thought to resemble a fungus: a little mushroom. Fungiform means…
Papillary muscle

Small muscles within the heart that anchor the heart valves. The anchor ropes are the chordae tendineae, thread-like bands of fibrous tissue that attach on one end to the edges of the tricuspid and mitral valves of the…
Papillary renal cell carcinoma

A type of kidney cancer that accounts for 15 to 20% of renal carcinomas. It occurs in both sporadic and familial forms. Hereditary papillary renal carcinoma is characterized by the development of multiple papillary…
Papillary tumor

A tumor shaped like a small mushroom with its stem attached to the inner lining of the bladder
Papilledema

Swelling of the head of the optic nerve, a sign of increased intracranial pressure. The optic nerve head, also called the optic disk or papilla, is the area where the optic nerve (the nerve that carries messages from…
Papilliferous

See: Papuliferous
Papilloma

A small solid benign tumor with a clear-cut border that projects above the surrounding tissue
Papilloma, cutaneous

A small tag of skin that may have a stalk (a peduncle). Cutaneous papillomas may appear on the skin almost anywhere although the favorite locales are the eyelids, neck, armpits (axillae), upper chest, and groin…
Papilloma, intraductal

A benign, wart-like growth that occurs in breast ducts
Papillomatosis

A disorder with numerous papillomas wart growths). For example, laryngeal papillomatosis is the presence of multiple papillomas on the vocal cords. It is most common in young children an is due to the human papilloma…
Papillomatosis, juvenile laryngeal

Juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis involves the growth of numerous warty growths on the vocal cords in children and young adults. A baby can contract juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis by being contaminated with the human…
Papillomatosis, laryngeal

Laryngeal papillomatosis is the growth of numerous warty growths on the vocal cords. The disease is most common in young children. Laryngeal papillomatosis can be due to the baby contracting human papilloma virus (HPV)…
Papillomatosis, recurrent respiratory

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis involves the growth of numerous warty growths in the larynx on the vocal cords in children and young adults. A baby can contract recurrent respiratory papillomatosis by being…
Papillomavirus, human

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A.
PAPP-A

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A
PAPPA

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A
Pappataci fever

See: Sandfly fever
Pappoose root

See: Blue cohosh
Paprika

A spicy seasoning ground from a variety of sweet red pepper (Capsicum annuum), the original source of vitamin C, isolated by the Hungarian scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1893-1986). The story goes that Szent-Gyorgyi…
Papular

Adjective referring to one or more small solid rounded bumps rising from the skin that are each usually 0.5 cm or less in diameter (less than a half inch across). Papules may open when scratched and become crusty and…
Papule

A small solid rounded bump rising from the skin that is usually less than 1 centimeter in diameter (less than 3/8 inch across). Papules may open when scratched and become crusty and infected. The term 'papule' is…
Papules

Small solid rounded bumps rising from the skin that are each usually less than 1 centimeter in diameter (less than 3/8 inch across). Papules may open when scratched and become crusty and infected. The term 'papule' is…
Papuliferous

1. Having papules. 2. Having pimples. Simply pimply. From papule, pimple + the Latin fero, to bear. Also papilliferous.