Category: T

The thickness of material required to attenuate a beam of radiation to one-tenth of its original intensity.  

Radiation therapy administered by a machine that is positioned at some distance from the patient. Typically, a teletherapy unit can rotate around a patient and thus allow use of multiple beams that intersect at the tumor and thus lower the dose to surrounding normal tissue. Cancer treatment in which the radiation source is placed outside…

An irritation of the joint at the base of the first, or big, toe, which is usually caused by the toe being bent backward or jammed against the ground. Symptoms include pain and swelling of the toe and difficulty walking. Treatment consists of applying ice, taking pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications, and elevating the foot.…

A side effect of the rapid destruction and breakdown of a tumor, as with chemotherapy or radiation therapy, that can have dangerous, life- threatening effects. Certain bulky and fast-growing tumors that are very sensitive to treatment can shrink rapidly. The products of the breakdown of the tumor cells are rapidly released into the person’s circulation,…

A surgical procedure to remove excess skin and fat from the abdomen and to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall; known medically as an abdominoplasty. The procedure is most successful in individuals who are in good physical health but have a deposit of excess fat and loose skin in the abdomen.  

A surgical procedure used to open and sometimes to rebuild fallopian tubes, where blockage has prevented conception. In this procedure, a surgeon unblocks the tubes by using microsurgery or a balloon tuboplasty, in which a small balloon-tipped tube called a balloon catheter is inserted through the uterus and into the fallopian tube. The balloon is…

The injection of a small amount of testing fluid, called tuberculin, under the skin to see if a reaction develops and to determine whether tuberculosis, or TB infection, is present. Tuberculin skin tests, which are also referred to as Mantoux tests, are examined and measured 2 to 3 days after the injection. If the skin…

Down syndrome; a genetic disorder involving an extra chromosome 21. Trisomy 21 syndrome is more common than Trisomy 18 syndrome.  

Failure of the tricuspid valve of the heart to close tightly, causing it to regurgitate (leak); also known as tricuspid regurgitation. The tricuspid valve connects the right atrium (upper chamber) of the heart with the right ventricle (lower chamber). Leakage from the right ventricle back into the right atrium reduces the flow of blood to…

Also known as protirelin or thyrotropin releasing factor (TRF). TRH is a byproduct of the hypothalamus, which stimulates the pituitary gland to produce and release TSH (thyroid- stimulating hormone). TRH production in the hypothalamus is stimulated when blood levels of the thyroid hormone thyroxine are low. A hormonelike substance from the hypothalamus (in the brain)…