Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «T»:
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Tail
Tail: 1. A slender appendage, such as the tail of the pancreas. 2. The appendage that protrudes from the buttocks of animals. People can appear to have a tail due to the presence of supernumerary segments of the coccyx....
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Tailbone
Tailbone Popular name for the coccyx, the small bone at the bottom of the spine made up of 3-5 rudimentary vertebrae. ...
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Taint
Taint: To poison, infect, or spoil....
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Takayasu arteritis
Takayasu arteritis: Inflammation of aorta and its
branches. See: Takayasu disease....
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Takayasu disease
Takayasu disease: A chronic inflammatory disease of the aorta and its branch arteries. The cause is unknown. The disease is most common in young women of Asian descent and usually begins between 10 and 30 years of age. Symptoms include painful, cool or blanched extremities, dizziness, headaches, che...
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Talc
Talc: A very soft, soapy-feeling mineral that is a silicate of magnesium, sometimes with small amounts of aluminum silicate.
Talc is used in making dusting powder (talcum powder), in cosmetic preparations, and as a filter aid in pharmacy.
The inhalation of talc can lead to a chronic lung disease c...
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Talipes
Talipes: Clubfoot.
The Latin word talipes was compounded from talus (ankle) + pes (foot) since, with the
common ("classic") type of clubfoot (talipes equinovarus), the foot is turned in
sharply and the person seems to be walking on their ankle. Talipes equinovalgus:
Malformation of the foot evident...
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Talipes equinovarus
Talipes equinovarus: The common ("classic") form of clubfoot. Talipes is made
up of the Latin talus (ankle) + pes (foot). Equino- indicates the heel is elevated (like a
horse's) and -varus indicates it is turned inward. With this type of clubfoot, the
foot is turned in sharply and the pe...
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Talus
Talus: The ankle bone. The ankle joint is formed
by the talus and the bottom of the tibia and fibula that
rest upon it. The Latin word "talus" means ankle and in
medicine it can refer to the entire ankle, too.
...
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Tamoxifen (Nolvadex)
Tamoxifen (Nolvadex): An antiestrogen (a drug that blocks the effects of estrogen) which competes with estrogen for binding sites in target tissues such as breast.
Tamoxifen has been widely publicized. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat breast cancer and help prev...
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Tampon
Tampon: A tampon is a pack or pad used to plug,
to stanch, to stop the flow
of
blood or other fluids. The tampon may be made of cotton,
sponge, or another
material. Tampons serve in surgery to control bleeding.
Likewise, with
nosebleeds. Vaginal tampons stem the flow of menstrual
blood. In Frenc...
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Tamponade, balloon
Tamponade, balloon: A procedure in which a
balloon is inflated within the
esophagus or stomach to apply pressure on bleeding blood
vessels, compress
the
vessels, and stop the bleeding. Used in the treatment of
bleeding veins in
the
esophagus (esophageal varices) and stomach. The balloon
used in ...
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Tamponade, cardiac
Tamponade, cardiac: A life-threatening situation
in which there is such a
large amount of fluid (usually blood) inside the
pericardial sac around the
heart that it interferes with the performance of the heart.
The end result,
if
untreated, is low blood pressure, shock and death. The
excess fluid...
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Tamponade, chronic
Tamponade, chronic: A situation in which a
chronic excess of fluid inside
the
pericardial sac and thickening of the pericardial sac
progressively
compress
the heart and impair its performance. The excess fluid in
the pericardial
sac
acts to constrict the heart. The word "tamponade" is direct
fro...
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Tamponade, esophagogastric
Tamponade, esophagogastric: A procedure in which
a balloon is inflated
within
the esophagus or stomach to apply pressure on bleeding
blood vessels,
compress
the vessels, and stop the bleeding. Used in the treatment
of bleeding veins
in
the esophagus (esophageal varices) and stomach. The balloon
...
