Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A condition in which deposits of calcium phosphate are found in articular cartilage. Deposits of calcium in the cartilage of a joint surface. An X ray reveals chondrocalcinosis in a joint. A release of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystals into the joint causes the form of arthritis called pseudogout. The presence of calcium phosphate crystals…

A cell from which cartilage develops in an embryo. Immature cartilage cells.  

Inflammation of a cartilage that covers the surfaces of the bone ends such as the joints in the arms and legs or the ends of the ribs in the chest. Chondritis causes pain in the affected area, especially with movement of the joint. The inflammation of cartilage is commonly due to mechanical pressure, stress, injury,…

Inflammation of the gall bladder with deposits of cholesterol. A form of chronic cholecystitis in which small crystals of cholesterol are deposited in the internal lining of the gall bladder, like the seeds of a strawberry: hence its descriptive term strawberry gall bladder. The crystals may enlarge to become gallstones.  

A high level of cholesterol in the blood.  

A cyst containing some cholesterol found in the middle ear and also in the brain. A benign, slow-growing mass in the middle ear composed of squamous epithelium and cholesterol deposits that eventually destroys the bones of the middle ear as it invades the mastoid air cells; caused by otitis media. A benign mass or tumorlike…

The production of bile by the liver.  

The surgical removal of gallstones by cutting into the gall bladder. Removal of gallstones through an incision in the gallbladder. The removal of gall-stones from “the gallbladder or bile ducts, when cholecystectomy or lithotripsy are inappropriate or not possible. It involves a cholecystomy, an operation to open the gall-bladder. A surgical cut into the gallbladder to…

A surgical operation to make a cut in the common bile duct to remove gallstones. A surgical operation in which the common bile duct is opened, to search for or to remove stones within it. It may be performed at the same time as cholecystectomy or if stones occur in the bile duct after cholecystectomy.…

A surgical operation to make an opening in a bile duct. Surgical drainage of the common bile duct by T-tube or catheter exiting the abdominal wall.