Category: C

  • Cochlear duct

    A spiral channel in the cochlea.  

  • Coccygeal vertebrae

    The fused bones in the coccyx. One of the rudimentary vertebrae of the coccyx.  

  • Coccydynia

    A sharp pain in the coccyx, usually caused by a blow. A continuous aching pain in the area of the coccyx, the structure formed by the small, fused bones at the base of the spine. Coccydynia may also be called coccygodynia. The condition is associated with a musculoskeletal abnormality in the area of the spine.…

  • Coccidioidomycosis

    A lung disease, caused by inhaling spores of the fungus Coccidioides immitis. An infection caused by the organism Coccidioides immitis that may be seen as disseminated (spread throughout the body) disease in AIDS patients. A potentially fatal fungal infection caused by Coccidioides immitis, a fungus that lives in the semiarid, sandy soil common to the…

  • Cobalt 60

    A radioactive isotope which is used in radiotherapy to treat cancer.  

  • Coalescence

    The process by which wound edges come together when healing. Irreversible destabilization of an emulsion. The fusion or growing together of two or more body parts.  

  • Coagulase

    An enzyme produced by a staphylococcal bacteria which makes blood plasma clot. An enzyme that speeds the clotting process in blood. An enzyme, formed by disease producing varieties of certain bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus, that causes blood plasma to coagulate. Staphylococci that are positive when tested for coagulase production are classified as belonging to…

  • Clutton’s joint

    A swollen knee joint occurring in congenital syphilis [Described 1886. After Henry Hugh Clutton (1850-1909), surgeon at St Thomas’s Hospital, London, UK.] A swollen joint, usually the knee, caused by inflammation of the synovial membranes due to congenital syphilis. Arthritis of the knee, seen in conjunction with keratitis in congenital syphilis.  

  • Cluster headache

    A headache which occurs behind one eye for a short period.  

  • Cloudy

    Referring to liquid which is not transparent but which has an opaque substance in it.