Medical terms - Letter P
1,454 terms start with the letter P.
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Peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer: A hole in the lining of the stomach, duodenum, or esophagus. A peptic ulcer of the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, an ulcer of the duodenum is a duodenal ulcer, and a peptic ulcer of the esophagus is an…
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Peptidase
An enzyme that can break down a peptide into its component amino acids
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Peptide
A molecule consisting of 2 or more amino acids. Peptides are smaller than proteins, which are also chains of amino acids. Molecules small enough to be synthesized from the constituent amino acids are, by convention…
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Peptidomimetic
A compound that mimics the biological action of a peptide
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Peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase
An enzyme also known as Pin1. See: Pin1
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Percentile
The percentage of individuals in a group who have achieved a certain quantity (such as height, weight, and head circumference) or developmental milestone (such as 'walking well' the 50th percentile for which is12 months…
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Perception, auditory
The ability to identify, interpret, and attach meaning to sound
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Perchlorate
A chemical used as the primary ingredient of solid rocket propellant and in munitions beginning in the 1950s. Perchlorate is also used in the production of explosives and fireworks. It adds the blue color to firework…
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Perchloric acid
See: Perchlorate
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Percutaneous
Through the skin, as in a percutaneous biopsy
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Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG)
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG): A surgical procedure for placing a feeding tube without having to perform an open laparotomy (operation on the abdomen). The aim of PEG is to feed those who cannot swallow. PEG…
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Percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy
(PEJ) A surgical procedure for placing a feeding tube into the jejunum (part of the small intestine) without having to perform an open laparotomy (an operation opening the abdomen). The aim of PEJ is to feed a patient…
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Percutaneous liver biopsy
A liver biopsy that is done through the skin with a needle. A percutaneous liver biopsy is in contrast, for example, to an open surgical biopsy of the liver. See: Liver biopsy
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Percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (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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Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography
PTCA. The use of a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowed artery.
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Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
Angioplasty: PTCA. The use of a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowed artery
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Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS)
In PUBS, a needle is inserted through the mother's abdominal wall and the uterine wall. Blood can be withdrawn from the umbilical vein at the point where the umbilical cord inserts (goes) into the placenta. Blood may…
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Perfect pitch
The inherent human ability to identify a note or sing it without hearing a reference note beforehand. Since most native speakers of languages that use tones to convey meaning have perfect pitch for language, it is now…
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Perfluorinated acid
A type of chemical that repels water and oil and is resistant to heat and chemical stress. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated acids have been used in the manufacturing process of many products…
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Perfluorooctanoic acid
PFOA. See: Perfluorinated acid
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Perforation of appendix
Rupture of appendix
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Perforation, nasal septum
A hole in the nasal septum, the wall inside the nose that runs down the middle dividing it into two sides. The hole provides a direct communication between the two normally-separate sides of the nose. Perforation of the…
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Perfusion
A chemotherapy technique that may be used when melanoma occurs on an arm or leg. The flow of blood to and from the limb is stopped for a while with a tourniquet, and anticancer drugs are put directly into the blood of…
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Peri-
Prefix meaning around or about. For example, pericardial is around the heart, and periaortic lymph nodes are lymph nodes around the aorta
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Peri-appendiceal
See: Periappendiceal
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Perianal
Located around the anus, the opening of the rectum to the outside of the body. Peri- is a prefix borrowed from the Greek. It means 'around or about.' So pericardial is around the heart. Perinatal is around birth. And…
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Perianal abscess
An abscess next to the anus that causes tenderness, swelling, and pain on defecation
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Periaortic
Around the aorta. The aorta is the great artery that comes from the left ventricle of the heart and delivers oxygen-rich blood to the body. Peri- is a prefix borrowed from the Greek. It means 'around or about.' So…
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Periappendiceal
Near the appendix. Perforation of the appendix can lead to a periappendiceal abscess (a collection of pus near the appendix)
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Pericardial
Referring to the pericardium, the sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart. The inner surface of the pericardium is lined by a layer of flat cells (mesothelial cells). The pericardial sac normally contains a small…
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Pericardial effusion
Too much fluid within the pericardium, the fibrous sac that surrounds the heart. The pericardium normally contains a small amount of pale yellow fluid which acts as a lubricant, allowing the heart to move within the…
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Pericardial sac
A conical sac of fibrous tissue which surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels. Also called the pericardium. The pericardium has outer and inner coats. The outer coat is tough and thickened, loosely…
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Pericardial tamponade
A life-threatening situation in which there is such a large amount of fluid (usually blood) inside the pericardial sac around the heart that it interferes with the performance of the heart. The end result, if untreated…
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Pericarditis
Pericarditis: Inflammation of the lining around the heart (the pericardium) causing chest pain and accumulation of fluid around the heart (pericardial effusion).
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Pericardium
The conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels. The pericardium's outer coat (the parietal pericardium) is tough and thickened, loosely cloaks the heart, and is…
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Pericardium, parietal
The outer layer of the pericardium which is a conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels. The pericardium has outer and inner coats. The outer coat is tough and…
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Pericardium, visceral
The inner layer of the pericardium, a conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels. The pericardium has outer and inner coats. The outer coat is tough and thickened…
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Pericentric chromosome inversion
A basic type of chromosome rearrangement in which a segment that includes the centromere (and so is pericentric) has been snipped out of a chromosome, turned through 180 degrees (inverted), and inserted back into its…
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Perichondrial
To do with the perichondrium, a dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps all cartilage, except the cartilage in joints which is covered by a synovial membrane. Peri- is a prefix borrowed…
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Perichondritis
Inflammation of the perichondrium, a dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps all cartilage, except the cartilage in joints which is covered by a synovial membrane. The word…
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Perichondrium
A dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps (invests) all cartilage, except the cartilage in joints which is covered by a synovial membrane. Peri- is a prefix borrowed from the Greek…
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Perichondroma
A tumor arising from the perichondrium, the dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps (invests) all cartilage (except the articular surfaces of the cartilage in joints which are covered by…
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Perilingual
During the development of speech and language. 'The age of onset continues to have important implications for cochlear implantation, depending on whether the hearing impairment occurred before (prelingual), during…
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Perimenopause
The menopause transition. Perimenopause begins about 6 years before the natural menopause. This is a time when the levels of hormones produced by the aging ovaries fluctuate leading to irregular menstrual patterns…
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Perinatal
Pertaining to the period immediately before and after birth. The perinatal period is defined in diverse ways. Depending on the definition, it starts at the 20th to 28th week of gestation and ends 1 to 4 weeks after…
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Perinatal transmission
Transmission of a disease-causing agent (a pathogen) from mother to baby during the perinatal period, the period immediately before and after birth. The perinatal period is defined in diverse ways. Depending on the…
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Perinatologist
An obstetrical subspecialist concerned with the care of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications. Since the perinatal period, depending on the definition, starts at the 20th to 28th week of…
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Perinatology
A subspecialty of obstetrics concerned with the care of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications. Since the perinatal period, depending on the definition, starts at the 20th to 28th week of…
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Perineal
Of or relating to the perineum
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Perineal prostatectomy
An operation to remove the prostate gland through an incision made between the scrotum and the anus. NTER>