Medical terms - Letter S (page 21) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Stones, cystine kidney

Cystine kidney stones are due to cystinuria, an inherited (genetic) disorder of the transport of an amino acid (a building block of protein) called cystine. The result is an excess of cystine in the urine (cystinuria)…
Stool

The solid matter discharged in a bowel movement
Stool occult blood test

A test to see whether there is blood in the bowel movement. Also called a fecal occult blood test: A test to check for hidden blood in stool. (Fecal refers to stool. Occult means hidden.) Abbreviated stool OB.
STOP (selective tubal occlusion procedure)

A nonsurgical form of permanent birth control in which a physician inserts a 4-centimeter (1.6 inch) long metal coil into each one of a woman's two fallopian tubes via a scope passed through the cervix into the uterus…
Stop codon

A set of three adjacent bases in the DNA or their complementary bases in messenger RNA that specifies the end of a polypeptide chain. The three stop codons (in messenger RNA) are UAA, UAG, and UGA. They are also called…
Storm supplies kit

The onshore rush of sea or lake water caused primarily by the high winds that are associated with a landfalling hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone and secondarily by the low pressure of the storm. The term tidal…
Storm surge

The onshore rush of sea or lake water caused primarily by the high winds that are associated with a landfalling hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone and secondarily by the low pressure of the storm. The term tidal…
Strabismus

Strabismus: A condition in which the visual axes of the eyes are not parallel and the eyes appear to be looking in different directions. In divergent strabismus, or exotropia, the visual axes diverge. If the visual axes…
Strabismus surgery

Surgery for strabismus, a condition in which the visual axes of the eyes are not parallel and the eyes appear to be looking in different directions. The concern is that the brain may come to rely more on one eye than…
Straight jacket

See: Straitjacket
Straight-jacket

See: Straitjacket
Straightjacket

See: Straitjacket
Strain

1. An injury to a tendon or muscle resulting from overuse or trauma. 2. A hereditary tendency that originated from a common ancestor. 3. To exert maximum effort. 4. To filter
Strain, lumbar

See: Lumbar strain.
Strait

1. (adjective) Narrow or confined. As in straitjacket. 2. (noun) A narrow passageway. As in the pelvic strait.
Strait jacket

See: Straitjacket
Strait-jacket

See: Straitjacket
Straitjacket

Or strait-jacket or strait jacket. 1. A garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves the ends of which can be tied behind the back to restrain a violently disturbed person, as in a psychiatric in-patient unit, so that…
Stratum corneum

The stratum corneum as a rule refers to the outermost layer of the epidermis, which is itself the outer layer of the skin. The full name of the stratum corneum of the skin is the stratum corneum epidermidis. The other…
Strep

Very commonly used shortened form of Streptococcus, a very common and important group of bacteria. See Streptococcu
Strep test, rapid

A diagnostic test commonly used to demonstrate whether streptococcus bacteria ('strep') are present in the throat. A throat infection with strep needs to be treated with an antibiotic. The traditional test for a strep…
Strep throat

Strep throat: Strep throat is an infection caused by a type of bacteria called streptococcus, which can lead to serious complications if not adequately treated.
Strep, group A

A well-known strain (a type) of streptococcus (strep) bacteria that can cause strep throat and common skin problems such as impetigo as well as rheumatic fever. Autoimmune reactions to strep have also recently been…
Streptococcus

A group of bacteria, familiarly known as strep, that cause a multitude of diseases. The name comes from the Greek strepto- meaning twisted + kokkos meaning berry, and that is exactly what strep look like under the…
Streptococcus faecalis

Now called Enterococcus faecalis. See Enterococcus
Streptococcus haemolyticus

Another name for streptococcus pyogenes
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus)

A type of bacterium that comes in pairs and is shaped like a lancet (a surgical knife with a short wide two-edged blade). Pneumococcus is the leading cause of bacterial pneumonia and otitis media (middle ear infections)…
Streptococcus pyogenes

A common bacteria of the skin that causes strep throat (streptococcal pharyngitis), impetigo, other skin infections, rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, glomerulonephritis, and invasive fasciitis
Streptococcus, group A

A well-known strain (type) of streptococcus (strep) bacteria that can cause strep throat and common skin problems such as impetigo as well as rheumatic fever. Autoimmune reactions to strep have also recently been…
Streptococcus, group B

A major cause of infections, including infections involving the pregnant woman and her newborn infant. Strep B can infect the mother's uterus, placenta, and urinary tract; in fact, they are present in the vagina of 10…
Stress

Stress: Forces from the outside world impinging on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, stress can cause us significant problems. Stress releases powerful…
Stress echocardiography

Stress echocardiography: A supplement to the routine exercise cardiac stress test. During stress echocardiography, the sound waves of ultrasound are used to produce images of the heart at rest and at the peak of…
Stress exercise thallium scan

Stress exercise thallium scan: A method of examining the heart to obtain information about the blood supply to the heart muscle. Special cameras take a series of pictures of the heart. A radioactive substance is…
Stress fracture

A fracture caused by repetitive stress, as may occur in sports, strenuous exercise, or heavy physical labor. Stress fractures are especially common in the metatarsal bones of foot, particularly in runners. Osteoporosis…
Stress test, pharmacologic

There are a diversity of pharmacologic stress tests. Here this refers specifically to a pharmacologic cardiac stress test in which certain medications are administered that stimulate the heart to mimic the physiologic…
Stress test, physiologic

Although there can be a diversity of physiologic stress tests, this refers here to a physiologic cardiac stress test in which certain medications are administered that stimulate the heart to mimic the physiologic…
Stress test, radionucleide

See: Radionuclide stress test
Stress testing, exercise cardiac

The exercise cardiac stress testing (ECST) is the most widely used cardiac (heart) screening test. The patient exercises on a treadmill according to a standardized protocol, with progressive increases in the speed and…
Stretch, quadriceps

An exercise to stretch the quadriceps muscle, the large muscle in the front of the thigh. To do this exercise, lie on your left side, on the floor. Your hips should be lined up so that the right one is directly above…
Striatum

Part of the basal ganglia of the brain. The basal ganglia are interconnected masses of gray matter located in the interior regions of the cerebral hemispheres and in the upper part of the brainstem. The striatum is also…
Stricture

An abnormal narrowing of a body passage, especially a tube or a canal. The stricture may be due, for example, to scar tissue or to a tumor. Stricture refers to both the process of narrowing and the narrowed part itself…
Stricture of the esophagus, chronic

A narrowing or closure of the normal opening of the swallowing tube leading to the stomach, usually caused by scarring from acid irritation. A common complication of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)…
Stricture, esophagus, acute

A narrowing or closure of the normal opening of the swallowing tube leading to the stomach, usually caused by scarring from acid irritation. Acute, complete obstruction of the esophagus occurs when food (usually meat)…
Striopallidodentate calcinosis

Striopallidodentate (SPD) calcinosis, a condition first described in 1930 by T. Fahr and therefore called Fahr syndrome, is a genetic (inherited) neurological disorder characterized by abnormal deposits of calcium in…
Stripping

Surgery to treat varicose veins. The problematic veins are 'stripped' out by passing a flexible device through the vein and removing it through an incision near the groin. Smaller tributaries of these veins also are…
Stroke

Stroke: The sudden death of some brain cells due to a lack of oxygen when the blood flow to the brain is impaired by blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. A stroke is also called a cerebrovascular accident or…
Stroke index

A cardiodynamic measure. Stroke volume is the amount of blood the left ventricle ejects in one beat, measured in milliliters per beat (ml/beat). The stroke volume can be indexed to a patient's body size by dividing by…
Stroke volume

The amount of blood pumped by the left ventricle of the heart in one contraction. The stroke volume is not all of the blood contained in the left ventricle. The heart does not pump all the blood out of the ventricle…
Stroke, heat

Stroke, heat: Heat stroke can be LIFE-THREATENING! Victims of heat stroke almost always die, so immediate medical attention is essential when problems first begin. A person with heat stroke has a body temperature above…
Stroke, National Institute Neurological Disorders

Nd (NINDS): One of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., the NINDS's mission is to 'support and conduct research and research training on the normal structure and function of the nervous system and on the…