Category: P

One of two membranes lining the chest cavity and covering each lung. Pleurae, delicate membrane covering the lungs and the inner surface of the chest; it is divided into the visceral pleura, which covers the lungs, and the parietal pleura, which lines the chest wall and covers the diaphragm. Between the two layers of the…

A method of recording the changes in the volume of organs, mainly used to measure blood flow in the limbs. A noninvasive diagnostic technique that measures small changes in the volume of a body part; often used to diagnose abnormal conditions of arteries and veins. The process of recording the changes in the volume of…

Referring to an appearance that is due to dilatation of superficial blood vessels, e.g. a red complexion.  

Too much blood in a part of the body. Excess of blood or other body fluid. A condition of fullness of the blood vessels in a particular part or in the whole body. This results in a florid, red appearance of the affected area, particularly the face. The volume of blood may be increased (polycythaemia)…

A little hammer with a rubber tip, used by doctors to tap tendons to test for reflexes or for percussion of the chest. A small hammer used to investigate nervous reflexes and in the technique of percussion.  

Treatment to help the partially sighted. Special techniques practiced by orthoptists for developing normal function of the macula (the most sensitive part of the retina), in people whose macular function has previously been disturbed because of strabismus (squint).  

A condition in which there are an unusual number of leucocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid. The presence of an abnormally large number of lymphocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid, which bathes the brain and spinal cord. An excessive number of cells in a body fluid; used especially to denote excessive lymphocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid.  

A small piece of gauze or cotton wool used to protect or apply medication to a small enclosed space, such as the ear passage. A small wad of dressing material, such as lint, used either to cover a wound or sore or as a plug. A small, flat compress, usually of gauze or absorbent cotton,…

A flat muscle running from the collarbone to the lower jaw. Broad muscle, on each side of the neck, extending from the lower jaw to the region of the clavicle and involved in mouth and jaw movement. A broad thin sheet of muscle that extends from below the collar bone to the angle of the…

A test to count the number of platelets in a specific quantity of blood. The number of platelets (thrombocytes) in a sample of whole blood. Platelets, essential in blood clotting, may be reduced in number in some diseases of the blood and after chemotherapy.