Medical terms - Letter T (page 12) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Trachea

A tube-like portion of the breathing or 'respiratory' tract that connects the 'voice box' (larynx) with the bronchial parts of the lungs. NTER> Each time we inhale (breathe in), air goes into our nose or mouth, then…
Trachelectomy

Surgical removal of the cervix, the lower portion of the uterus that protrudes into the vagina. Trachelectomy is done in younger women with early cancer of the cervix (with a tumor no larger than 2-3 centimeters). In…
Tracheoesophageal puncture

A small opening made by a surgeon between the esophagus and the trachea. A valve keeps food out of the trachea but lets air into the esophagus for esophageal speech
Tracheostomy

Tracheostomy: A surgical operation to create an opening (stoma) into the windpipe (the trachea). The opening itself can also be called a tracheostomy. A tracheostomy may be needed on an emergency basis to permit a…
Tracheostomy button

Tracheostomy button: A 1/2- to 1 1/2-inch-long plastic tube placed in the stoma to keep it open
Tracheostomy tube

Tracheostomy tube: A 2- to 3-inch metal or plastic tube that keeps the stoma and trachea open. Also called a trach ('trake') tube
Trachoma

A chronic inflammatory eye disease due to infection with a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis. Trachoma results in blindness so frequently that it places a huge burden a year on world health funding. The disease…
Traction

In medicine, a procedure for manually pulling a part of the body to a beneficial effect. See traction, orthopedic.
Traction, orthopedic

The use of a system of weights and pulleys to gradually change the position of a bone. It may be used in cases of bone injury or congenital defect, to prevent scar tissue from building up in ways to limit movement, and…
Traditional Chinese medicine

The current name for an ancient system of health care from China. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is based on a concept of balanced qi (pronounced 'chee'), or vital energy, that is believed to flow throughout the…
Traditional midwife

A direct-entry midwife practicing within the confines of traditional folk medicine. Traditional midwives are now very rare in the US, but preside over the majority of births in many other countries. Most have no formal…
Traditional oriental medicine

This is a sophisticated form of medicine comprised of many systematic techniques and methods, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, acupressure, qi gong, and oriental massage. The most striking characteristic of…
Training, cross

Doing two or more aerobic activities such as jogging, bicycling, and swimming on a regular basis
Trait

In genetics, a trait refers to any genetically determined characteristic. In technical terms, a genetic trait is amenable to segregation analysis rather than quantitative analysis. A dominant lethal trait is a trait…
Trait, dominant lethal

A genetic trait that, if present in the genome of the individual, is expressed and therefore precludes the individual's having descendants. All such cases with a dominant lethal trait must necessarily be sporadic and…
Trait, sickle cell

A person who possess one copy of the gene for sickle cell anemia. This person carries the gene but does not have the disease. If two people with sickle cell trait have children together, each of their children has a one…
Tranquilizer

In pharmacology, a drug that calms and relieves anxiety. The first tranquilizer, chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride (brand name: Librium) received FDA approval in 1960. Tranquillizers range in potency from mild to major…
Trans fat

An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fatty acid, made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and…
Trans fatty acid

An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fat, made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods…
Trans- (prefix)

From the Latin meaning 'across, over, or beyond.' Medical terms containing 'trans- ' as a prefix include transcription, transfusion, transplant, transsexual, transurethral, transvaginal, transvestism, etc.
Transaminase biochemistry

The transaminases are enzymes that catalyze chemical reactions in the body in which an amino group is transferred from a donor molecule to a recipient molecule. Hence, the name 'transferase' can be applied to the…
Transaminase clinical usage

Two of the better known enzymes in the transaminase class are serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT). Both SGOT and SGPT are normally found primarily in liver and…
Transaminase nomenclature

The names and abbreviations applied to the transaminases are quite confusing since (just as a starter) a transaminase is an aminotransferase, SGOT is known alternatively as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and SGPT…
Transaminase, serum glutamic oxaloacetic

An enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells, and is released into blood when the liver or heart is damaged. Blood SGOT levels are thus elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis) or…
Transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic (SGPT)

An enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells, and is released into blood when the liver or heart is damaged. Blood SGPT levels are thus elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis) or…
Transcranial

Through the cranium. As, for example, in transcranial magnetic stimulation
Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Abbreviated TMS. A non-invasive technique that consists of a magnetic field emanating from a wire coil held outside the head. The magnetic field induces an electrical current in nearby regions of the brain. TMS was…
Transcription

Making an RNA copy from a sequence of DNA (a gene). Transcription is the first step in gene expression
Transcription factor

A protein that controls when genes are switched on or off -- whether genes are transcribed or not. Transcription factors bind to regulatory regions in the genome and help control gene expression
Transcriptome

The complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome at any one time. The transcriptome is dynamic and changes under different circumstances due to different patterns of gene expression. The study of the…
Transcriptomics

The study of the transcriptome, the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome at any one time
Transdifferentiation

An instrument that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. A transducer can also act as a transmitter and receiver of ultrasound information.
Transducer

An instrument that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. A transducer can also act as a transmitter and receiver of ultrasound information
Transesophageal echocardiography

A diagnostic test, using a special probe placed within the esophagus, that employs ultrasound waves to make images of the heart chambers, valves and surrounding structures. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has…
Transfer RNA (tRNA)

A class of RNA that has triplet nucleotide sequence complementary to the triplet nucleotide coding sequences of messenger RNA (mRNA). The role of tRNAs is to bond with amino acids and transfer them to the ribosomes…
Transferrin

A plasma protein that transports iron through the blood to the liver, spleen and bone marrow. The blood transferrin level is tested for diverse reasons: to determine the cause of anemia, to examine iron metabolism (for…
Transformation, genetic

A process by which the genetic material carried by an individual cell is altered by the incorporation of foreign (exogenous) DNA into its genome
Transforming growth factor

(TGF) One of several proteins secreted by transformed cells that can stimulate the growth of normal cells. Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha or TGF-A) binds the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and…
Transforming principle

Name originally given to DNA. In 1944 Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty published their discovery that the transforming principle was DNA. In the early 1940s Oswald T. Avery and Maclyn McCarty, a colleague at the Rockefeller…
Transfusion

The transfer of blood or blood products from one person (the donor) into another person (the recipient's) bloodstream. In most situations, this is done as a lifesaving maneuver to replace blood cells or blood products…
Transfusion medicine

Blood transfusion and blood conservation are the complementary activities that constitute the clinical arena of transfusion medicine. Blood transfusion is the transfer of blood or blood products from one person (the…
Transgenic

Having genetic material (DNA) from another species. This term can be applied to an organism that has genes from another organism. It is understood that the foreign genes are in the transgenic animal's germ-cell DNA and…
Transient global amnesia

A passing episode of short-term memory loss without other signs or symptoms of neurological impairment. In transient global amnesia (TGA) the individual does not lose consciousness but does lose the ability to form new…
Transient insomnia

See Insomnia, transient
Transient ischemic attack (TIA, Mini-Stroke)

Transient ischemic attack (TIA, Mini-Stroke): A neurological event with the signs and symptoms of a stroke, but which go away within a short period of time. Also called a mini-stroke, a TIA is due to a temporary lack of…
Transillumination

The passing of a strong beam of light through a part of the body for medical inspection. A method of examination by the passage of light through tissues or a body cavity. A common use of transillumination is in infancy…
Transition, menopause

Menopause: A woman can usually tell if she is approaching menopause because her menstrual periods starts changing. The medical terms used to describe this time are the 'menopause transition' and 'perimenopause'. The…
Transitional cell carcinoma

A type of cancer that develops in the lining of the renal pelvis, ureter or bladder
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt: A shunt that allows blood from the portal circulation (that supplies the liver) to flow into the systemic (general) circulation. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic…
Transjugular, intrahepatic, portosystemic shunt

S): A shunt (tube) placed between the portal vein which carries blood from the intestines to the liver and the hepatic vein which carries blood from the liver back to the heart. It is used primarily (but not…