Category: S

The expulsion of a fetus by the mother’s body after the fetus has died in the uterus. Also called a miscarriage. Abortion occurring without apparent cause. An abortion not brought about through medical intervention.  

The difference in glucose levels between blood and synovial fluid, which may be increased in arthritis and certain other conditions.  

Examination of certain cells or blood proteins that indirectly indicate activity of the AIDS virus (HIV). An indirect indicator of a disease state or of its response to therapy. Such markers often include laboratory tests thought to represent clinical progress accurately. For example, in diabetes mellitus, the glycosylated hemoglobin level is used as a marker…

An X-ray study done to locate a surgical sponge in the operative area during, or just after, surgery.  

Chemical used in liver function tests. Injected intravenously, its retention in the blood is measured after a period of time. Normal value: less than 6% retained after 45 min.  

A substance not normally present in the blood, but found in patients who have taken an excess of certain drugs, or in cases of hydrogen sulfide poisoning.  

Death that occurs unexpectedly in a previously healthy person, who had given no indication that sudden death was likely to occur.  

Bleeding into the space between the dura mater and the arachnoid membranes that cover the brain; due to injury or illness. Bleeding into the space between the two outer membranes (called the dura mater and the arachnoid) of the three membranes covering the brain. Blood leaking from the outermost membrane, the dura mater, is caused…

Infection of the valves or the membrane that lines the heart, caused by a streptococcal organism that lives in these areas. This condition usually occurs in a person with a damaged heart due to an illness such as rheumatic fever. A heart valve infection that becomes clinically evident after weeks or months. It usually results…

An ECG tracing made while the patient exercises on a treadmill or stationary bicycle, to evaluate heart muscle function.