Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «C»:
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Catheter, Swan-Ganz
Catheter, Swan-Ganz: A thin, flexible tube that
is inserted through one of the large veins (the inferior or superior vena cava) that return blood to the heart. The catheter is flow-directed. It uses a balloon to carry it through the vena cava to the heart, through the right side of the heart (the r...
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Catheterization, venous
Catheterization, venous: The insertion of a
tiny tube (a catheter) into a peripheral or central vein to
deliver fluids or medication. This is the most frequently
used method for the administration of intravenous (IV) fluids and IV meds (medications).
The most common complications of venous cathet...
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Cathexis
Cathexis: In psychiatry, the concentration of psychic energy on an idea, object, or other object....
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Cation
Cation: In chemistry, a positively charged ion. Pronounced cat-I-on.
A cation is as opposed to an anion, which is a negatively charged ion....
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Cauda equina
Cauda equina: A bundle of spinal nerve roots that arise from the bottom end of the spinal cord. The cauda equina comprises the roots of all the spinal nerve roots below the level of the first lumbar (L1) vertebra, namely the sacral and coccygeal nerves. So named because it resembles the tail (Latin,...
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Cauda equina syndrome
Cauda equina syndrome: Impingement of the nerves in the cauda equina,
characterized by dull pain in the lower back and upper buttocks and lack of
feeling (analgesia) in the buttocks, genitalia, and thigh, together with
disturbances of bowel and bladder function....
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Caudad
Caudad: Toward the feet (or, in embryology, toward the tail), as opposed to cranial. The spinal cord is caudad to the brain.
For a more complete listing of terms used in medicine for spatial orientation, please see the entry to "Anatomic Orientation Terms"....
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Caudal
Caudal: An anatomic term meaning 1. Pertaining to the tail or the hind part. 2. Situated in or directed toward the tail or hind part. 3. Inferior to another structure, in the sense of being below it.
Caudal is also short for caudal epidural anesthesia.
The terms caudal and caudad are both derived f...
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Caudal anesthesia
Caudal anesthesia: Anesthesia produced by injection of a local anesthetic into the caudal canal, the sacral portion of the spinal canal. Caudal anesthesia is used to provide anesthesia and analgesia (pain relief) below the umbilicus. It may be the sole anesthetic or combined with general anesthesia....
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Caudal block
Caudal block: See Caudal anesthesia....
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Caudal epidural anesthesia
Caudal epidural anesthesia: See Caudal anesthesia....
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Caudate nucleus
Caudate nucleus: In each hemisphere of the brain, the most medial of the four basal ganglia, partly responsible for body movement and coordination. So named because it looks anatomically tail-like (the Latin cauda, tail)....
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Caul
Caul: Or cowl, a membrane, in obstetrics and cooking.
In obstetrics, the caul is the amnion, one of the two fetal membranes, the other being the chorion. To be born in a caul meant to be born with the head covered by the amnion (or be born within an intact unruptured amnion). To be born in a caul ...
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Cauliflower ear
Cauliflower ear: An acquired deformity of the external ear to which wrestlers and boxers are particularly vulnerable.
The cause is damage due to trauma. When trauma causes a blood clot
under the skin of the ear, the clot disrupts the connection of the
skin to the ear cartilage. The cartilage ha...
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Cauliflower-ear deformity
Cauliflower-ear deformity: Destruction of the
underlying cartilage framework of the outer ear (pinnae), usually caused by either infection or trauma, resulting in a thickening of the ear. Classically, blood collects (hematoma) between the ear cartilage and the skin. There is a marked thickening of t...
