Medical terms - Letter S (page 20) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Sterilization, male surgical

Male surgical sterilization is done by vasectomy which involves sealing, tying or cutting a man's vas deferens, the tube which otherwise would carry the sperm from the testicle to the penis. Vasectomy is a relatively…
Sterilization, surgical

Surgical sterilization is a contraceptive option for people who do not want children in the future. It is considered permanent because reversal requires major surgery that is often unsuccessful. Female sterilization…
Sternal rib

One of the first 7 pairs of ribs. A rib is said to be a 'sternal' rib or a 'true' rib if it attaches to the sternum (the breast bone). All 12 pairs of ribs attach to the building blocks of the spine (vertebrae) in the…
Sternum

Anatomic name for the breast bone, the long flat bone in the upper middle of the front of the chest. The sternum articulates (comes together) with the cartilages of the first seven ribs and with the clavicle (collar…
Sternutation

Sneezing; the sound of sneezing. When we sneeze, air is expelled with force from the nose (and from the mouth, if it is open) due to a spasmodic contraction of the chest muscles and diaphragm. A sneeze is often…
Sternutator

Something that causes a sneeze. From the Latin sternutatio (sneeze). See also: Sternutation
Steroid

A general class of chemical substances that are structurally related to one another and share the same chemical skeleton (a tetracyclic cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene skeleton). Many hormones, body constituents, and drugs…
Steroid abuse

Steroid abuse: Use of substances containing anabolic steroids to increase muscle mass. Such steroids can have many side effects when misused, including psychiatric problems, liver tumors, reduction in the size of the…
Steroid, designer

See: Designer steroid
Stethoscope

An instrument used to transmit low-volume sounds such as the heartbeat (or intestinal, venous, or fetal sounds) to the ear of the listener. A stethoscope may consist of two earpieces connected by means of flexible…
Stevens-Johnson syndrome

See: Stewart, Alice.
Stewart

See: Stewart, Alice
Stewart, Alice

(1906-2002) English physician and epidemiologist who discovered the connection between fetal X-rays and childhood cancer. Dr. Stewart found that a single diagnostic X-ray during pregnancy was enough to nearly double the…
STI

Abbreviation for: 1. Sexually transmitted infection. 2. Soft tissue infection. 3. Systolic time interval
Stick, heel

See: Heel stick
Stickler

1. Stickler, Gunnar B.. 2. Stickler syndrome. 3. With a small s, someone who insists upon some matter such as promptness, neatness, or knowing the exact year Stickler described the syndrome named after him
Stickler syndrome

A relatively common genetic disorder characterized by very flexible (hyperextensible) joints, typical facial characteristics, hearing loss, and severe nearsightedness with associated eye problems. The typical facial…
Stickler syndrome, type I

See: Stickler syndrome
Stickler syndrome, type II

See: Stickler syndrome
Stickler syndrome, type III

See: Stickler syndrome
Stickler's syndrome

See: Stickler syndrome
Stickler, Gunnar B.

German-American pediatrician Gunnar B. Stickler (1925-) who first described the genetic disorder of collagen known today as Stickler syndrome. After graduating in medicine in Munich, Dr. Stickler emigrated in 1951 to…
Stickler-Wagner syndrome

See: Stickler syndrome
Stiff baby syndrome

A genetic disorder also known as hyperexplexia in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex (reaction). This disorder was not recognized until 1962 when it was described by Drs. Kok and Bruyn as a disease with the…
Stiff lung

See: ARDS
Still's Disease

See: Arthritis, systemic-onset juvenile rheumatoid.
Stillbirth

The tragic birth of a dead baby, the delivery of a fetus that has died before birth. There is no possibility of resuscitation. The word 'stillbirth' is a fusion of 'still' in the now-obsolete sense of 'dead' and 'birth'…
Stilling-Turk-Duane syndrome

See: Duane syndrome
Sting, Africanized bee

All stings from bees (and other large stinging insects such as yellow jackets, hornets and wasps) can trigger allergic reactions varying greatly in severity. Avoidance and prompt treatment are essential. This is surely…
Sting, insect

Stings from large stinging insects such as yellow jackets, bees, hornets and wasps can trigger allergic reactions varying greatly in severity. Avoidance and prompt treatment are essential. In selected cases, allergy…
Sting, jellyfish

The injection into the skin of venom from the stinging unit (the nematocyst) of the jellyfish. The jellyfish tentacles can extend for several feet and are lined with venom-filled cells (nematocysts). One tentacle may…
Sting, yellow jacket

A sting from a yellow jacket (or other large stinging insects such as bees, hornets and wasps) can trigger allergic reactions ranging from local responses of limited duration to catastrophic general reactions which can…
Stirrup

The stapes, one of the three bones in the middle ear. See: Stapes
STL1

Stickler syndrome, type I. See: Stickler syndrome
STL2

Stickler syndrome, type II. See: Stickler syndrome
STL3

Stickler syndrome, type III. See: Stickler syndrome
Stockholm syndrome

Sudden collapse into unconsciousness due to a disorder of heart rhythm in which there is a slow or absent pulse resulting in syncope (fainting) with or without convulsions. In this condition, the normal heartbeat…
Stokes Adams attack

Sudden collapse into unconsciousness due to a disorder of heart rhythm in which there is a slow or absent pulse resulting in syncope (fainting) with or without convulsions. In this condition, the normal heartbeat…
Stoma

An opening into the body from the outside created by a surgeon
Stomach

1. The sac-shaped digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upper part of the stomach connects to the esophagus, and the lower part leads into the small intestine. When food enters the…
Stomach cancer

Stomach cancer: Cancer of the stomach, the main organ that holds food for digestion. Worldwide, stomach cancer is the second most frequent cancer and the second leading cause of death from cancer. It can develop in any…
Stomach emptying study

Also called a gastric emptying study, this test evaluates the emptying of food from the stomach. For a gastric emptying study, a patient eats a meal in which the solid food, liquid food or both are mixed with a small…
Stomach flu

So-called 'stomach flu' actually has nothing to do with the influenza (flu) virus. This term is sometimes used to describe gastrointestinal illnesses caused by other microorganisms
Stomach paralysis

Formally called gastroparesis, this is a medical condition in which the muscle of the stomach is paralyzed by a disease of either the stomach muscle itself or the nerves controlling the muscle. As a consequence, food…
Stomach, Pavlov

A pouch fashioned surgically from part of the stomach (but isolated from the rest of the stomach) that opens via a fistula (canal) on to the abdominal wall. At different points along the dogs' digestive tracts, the…
Stomatitis, Vincent

This is trench mouth, a progressive painful infection with ulceration, swelling and sloughing off of dead tissue from the mouth and throat due to the spread of infection from the gums. Certain germs (including fusiform…
Stone, kidney

Kidney stone: A stone in the kidney (or lower down in the urinary tract). Kidney stones are a common cause of blood in the urine and pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Kidney stones occur in 1 in 20 people at some…
Stone, renal

A stone in the kidney (or lower down in the urinary tract). Also called a kidney stone. Renal stones are a common cause of blood in the urine and pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Kidney stones occur in 1 in 20…
Stone, tonsil

A tiny stone (calculus) in the tonsils. These stones, called tonsilloliths, are found within little pockets (crypts) in the tonsils that typically form in chronic recurrent tonsillitis and harbor bacteria. The stones…
Stone-mason's disease

See: Silicosis