Category: L

An X-ray examination of the lymph vessels following introduction of radio-opaque material. A procedure whereby the lymphatics and lymphatic glands can be rendered visible on X-ray films by means of the injection of radio-opaque substances. It has now been replaced largely by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Immediate radiological investigation of the lymphatic vessels after injection of…

Swelling of the smaller lymph vessels as a result of obstructions in larger vessels. Dilatation of the lymphatic vessels, which is usually congenital and produces enlargement of various parts of the body (e.g. the leg in Milroy’s disease). It may also be caused by obstruction of the lymphatic vessels. Benign swelling in all or part…

The surgical removal of lymph nodes, an operation commonly performed when a cancer has invaded nodes in the drainage area of an organ infiltrated by a malignant growth. Surgical removal of the lymph nodes. The procedure is usually carried out when cancer has infiltrated the nodes in the lymphatic drainage zone of an organ or…

A viral disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by bites from deer ticks. It causes rashes, nervous pains, paralysis and, in extreme cases, death. Lyme disease (LD), the most common tick-borne disease in the United States, is transmitted mainly by the black-legged tick, often called the deer tick. The disease is a bacterial infection caused…

A hormone produced by the pituitary gland, which stimulates the formation of the corpus luteum in females and of testosterone in males. A hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland which stimulates ovulation, maturation of the corpus luteum, and the synthesis of progesterone by the ovary and testosterone by the testis.  

A form of tuberculosis of the skin in which red spots appear on the face and become infected. Rare form of tuberculosis characterized by skin ulcers that heal slowly and leave deep scars. Tuberculous infection of the skin, usually due to direct inoculation of the tuberculosis bacillus into the skin. This type of lupus often…

An inflammatory disease of connective tissue of which the more serious, systemic, form affects the heart, joints and blood vessels. An autoimmune disease that affects the skin, joints, blood vessels, heart, kidneys, lungs, and brain. An autoimmune disorder in which the body mistakenly attacks the connective tissue in the body, often called systemic lupus erythematosus…

A curved white mark at the base of a fingernail. White, semilunar area of nail near the root. The whitish crescent-shaped area at the base of a nail. Visible part of the matrix that extends from underneath the living skin; it is the whitish, halfmoon shape at the base of the nail. The crescent-shaped white…

A chart for calculating the surface area of a burn.  

A mass of hard tissue which rises on the surface or under the surface of the skin.