Medical terms - Letter T (page 17) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Tumor, Wilms

See: Wilms tumor
Tuna

A fish about which there are several health concerns. One concern involves carbon monoxide that prevents the flesh of the fish from discoloring and keeps it red. The FDA permits this practice in the US but Japan, Canada…
Tunica albuginea

The whitish membrane within the penis that surrounds the spongy chambers (corpora cavernosa) in the penis and which helps to trap the blood in the corpora cavernosa, thereby sustaining erection of the penis. The term…
Tunica albuginea of the testis

The layer of dense whitish inelastic tissue that surrounds the testis
Tunnel vision

Loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision. And, by extension, any very narrow point of view. Also called tubular vision
Turban tumor syndrome

See: Familial cylindromatosis
Turbinate

A bone shaped like a top. The turbinate is a bone in the nose; it is an extension of the ethmoid bone, is situated along the side wall of the nose, and is covered by mucous membrane. The word turbinate is related to a…
Turbinectomy

Removal of a turbinate bone. The turbinate is a bone in the nose; it is an extension of the ethmoid bone, is situated along the side wall of the nose, and is covered by mucous membrane. For example, submucous…
Turcot syndrome

A genetic disease characterized by polyps in the colon (large intestine) in addition to tumors in the brain. The polyps in the colon tend to become malignant. The brain tumors are also malignant. There are sometimes…
Turf toe

An injury to the big toe due to forced hyperextension (upward bending back) of the toe. The damage is to the capsule of the joint (the first metatarsophalangeal joint) and the ligaments that connect the big toe to the…
Turgor

Gree of elasticity of skin, sometimes referred to as skin turgor. The assessment of skin turgor is used clinically to determine the extent of dehydration, or fluid loss, in the body. The measurement is done by pinching…
Turner syndrome

Turner syndrome: A chromosome disorder in females that is characterized by the absence of all or part of a second sex chromosome in some or all cells. The condition occurs in 1 in 2,500 to 3,000 girls born. The physical…
Turner-Kieser syndrome

See Nail-patella syndrome
TVS

Abbreviation for 'transvaginal ultrasound,' a technique in which sound waves are sent out by an ultrasound probe that has been inserted in the vagina. The waves go through the vaginal wall and bounce off the ovaries…
Twelfth cranial nerve

The hypoglossal nerve. The twelve cranial nerves, including the hypoglossal nerve, emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium). The hypoglossal nerve supplies the muscles of the tongue. Paralysis of the hypoglossal…
Twenty-twenty

Perfectly normal vision. From the ability to score 20/20 on the test of visual acuity with the eye chart. This familiar chart, called Snellen's chart after its inventor, is usually read while standing a distance of 20…
Twilight sleep

Sleep: A term applied to the combination of analgesia (pain relief) and amnesia (loss of memory) produced by a mixture of morphine and scopolamine ('scope') given by a hypodermic injection (an injection under the skin)…
Twin

One of two children produced in the same pregnancy and born during the same birth process. Twins can develop from one ovum (egg) or from two ova (eggs): > >Twins from one ovum: Twins that develop from a single ovum are…
Twin, vanishing

See: Vanishing twin
Twisted ankle

See: Ankle sprain
Two-animal rule

A rule instituted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the licensing of agents directed against diseases of low or no incidence. The two-animal rule states that, when agents such as an antibiotic or vaccine…
Two-faced twins

Twin: Known medically as diprosopus, two-faced twins are conjoined twins (incompletely separated identical twins). The twins have almost complete fusion of their bodies with one set of limbs. Part or all of the face is…
TXA2

Thromboxane A2, the active form of thromboxane
TXB2

Thromboxane B2, the inactive product of thromboxane
Tylenol

See: Acetaminophen
Tylosis

A callus or thickening. See: Tylosis with esophageal cancer
Tylosis with esophageal cancer

A genetic disorder characterized by thickening (hyperkeratosis) of the palms and soles, white patches in the mouth (oral leukoplakia), and a very high risk of esophageal cancer. This is the only genetic syndrome known…
Tympanic

1. Pertaining to the tympanum (the eardrum).2. Pertaining to the tympanic cavity.3. Bell-like or resonant
Tympanic cavity

The major portion of the middle ear, consisting of a narrow air-filled cavity in the temporal bone that contains the bones of the middle ear
Tympanic membrane

Just the ear drum
Tympanites

A hollow drum-like sound produced when a gas-containing cavity is tapped sharply. Tympanites is heard if the chest contains free air (pneumothorax) or the abdomen is distended with gas. Another term for tympanites is…
Tympano-

Prefix indicating a relationship to the ear drum (tympanum). For example, tympanometry is a test that measures the function of the middle ear
Tympanometry

A test that measures the function of the middle ear. Tympanometry works by varying the pressure within the ear canal and measuring the movement of the ear drum (the tympanic membrane). The word 'tympanometry' is…
Tympanoplasty

A surgical operation to correct damage to the middle ear and restore the integrity of bones of the middle ear and the ear drum. Tympano- comes from the Greek tympanon meaning drum
Tympanostomy tube

A small plastic tube inserted into the eardrum to keep the middle ear aerated for a prolonged period of time. These ventilating tubes usually remain in place for 6 months to several years. Eventually, they move out of…
Tympanum

In anatomy, the drum of the ear, the eardrum, the tympanic membrane. The tympanum resembles the head of a tiny drum. It separates the middle ear from the external ear. Etymology: The Latin term 'tympanum auris' was…
Tympany

A hollow drum-like sound produced when a gas-containing cavity is tapped sharply. Tympany is heard if the chest contains free air (pneumothorax) or the abdomen is distended with gas. Another term for tympany is…
Type 1 diabetes

See Diabetes, type 1
Type 1 GM2-gangliosidosis

See: Tay-Sachs disease
Type 2 diabetes

See Diabetes, type 2.
Type 2 myotonic dystrophy

See: Myotonic dystrophy type 2
Type I error

The statistical error (said to be 'of the first kind' or alpha error) made in testing an hypothesis when it is concluded that a treatment or intervention is effective when it really is not. Sometimes referred to as a…
Type II error

The statistical error (said to be 'of the second kind' or beta error) made in testing an hypothesis when it is concluded that a treatment or intervention is not effective when it really is. Sometimes referred to as a…
Typhoid

See: Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever

Typhoid fever: An acute illness with fever caused by infection with the Salmonella typhi bacteria contracted from contaminated water and food. The disease has an insidious onset characterized by fever, headache…
Typhoid Mary

Someone who by force of circumstances serves as the source from which something undesirable spreads. Typhoid Mary was a cook named Mary Mallon who had immigrated from Ireland and was living in New York City in the early…
Typhoon

A regionally specific name for a strong tropical cyclone in the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline. Other terms for precisely the same type of storm include hurricane (in the North Atlantic Ocean, the…
Typhoon supplies kit

One of a group of acute infections caused by rickettsiae, transmitted by arthropods (lice, fleas, mites), and characterized by severe headache, chills, high fever, stupor, and a rash. The four main entities making up…
Typhus

One of a group of acute infections caused by rickettsiae, transmitted by arthropods (lice, fleas, mites), and characterized by severe headache, chills, high fever, stupor, and a rash. The four main entities making up…
Typhus fever

See: Typhus