Category: M

Backward flow of blood through the mitral valve of the heart. A situation in which the mitral valve does not close completely so that blood goes back into the atrium. backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium, resulting from imperfect closure of the mitral (bicuspid) valve. It may result from congenital…

Large bone marrow cell with large or multiple nuclei. It gives rise to blood platelets. A large bone marrow cell having large or many nuclei. A bone marrow cell which produces blood platelets. Large bone marrow cell that gives rise to platelets. A large cell normally found in the bone marrow that gives rise to…

First feces of a newborn infant, made up of salts, amniotic fluid, mucus, bile and epithelial cells. The substance is greenish black, almost odorless and tarry. The first stool of a newborn, greenish black and with a tarry consistency. The material in the intestinal tract of a newborn infant before true feces are formed. The…

Point of special abdominal tenderness indicating acute appendicitis. It lies over and corresponds with the normal position of the appendix. The point of special tenderness in acute appendicitis; corresponds with the normal position of the base of the appendix. A point which indicates the usual position of the appendix on the right side of the…

Larger than normal head. An enlarged head. The condition of having an unusually large head. Abnormality (usually but not always congenital) characterized by an abnormally large head and brain, usually resulting in mental and growth retardation. It differs from hydrocephalus in that the overgrowth is symmetrical, and there is no increased intracranial pressure. A congenital…

A bacterium that is difficult to treat, particularly in hospitals, where it may be fatal for already ill patients. A type of infectious bacteria that is highly resistant to conventional treatments such as antibiotics. The acronym for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium resistant to methicillin and numerous other antibiotics. This bacterium is accountable for the…

A combined vaccine that protects children against measles, mumps, and rubella. The MMR vaccine is first given to a child between 12 and 15 months. Follow-up booster doses occur when the child is between three and five years. Administration of the MMR vaccine on a large scale in the developed world has greatly reduced the…

Surgery on tiny structures, which are not easily accessible, such as blood vessels, nerves, or eyes. Microsurgery is carried out using a microscope and specially adapted miniature instruments. Surgery using tiny instruments and a microscope. Microsurgery is used in operations on eyes and ears, and also to connect severed nerves and blood vessels. A highly…

The flow of blood that occurs during a menstruation period. Flow of blood and other material from the uterus during menstruation. The blood and other materials discharged from the womb at menstruation. The monthly flow of bloody fluid from the endometrium. “Menses” is another term for a menstrual period. It can also refer to the…

A hernial protrusion of the meninges, or covering of the spinal cord. A congenital defect of the spine (spina bifida) causes meningocele. A condition in which the meninges protrude through the vertebral column or skull. Congenital sac- like protrusion of either the cerebral (brain) or the spinal meninges, containing cerebrospinal fluid but no nerve tissue.…