Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «V»:
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Vertebroplasty
Vertebroplasty: A nonsurgical method for the
repair of vertebral fractures and compression due to osteoporosis.
Broken bones in the spine are often due to osteoporosis, the progressive loss of bone tissue, which depletes both the collagen and the calcium salts from bone so the bone then becomes ...
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Vertex
Vertex: The top of the head. In a vertex
presentation, the top of the baby's head comes first at delivery. The word
"vertex" in Latin means a "whirlpool, whirlwind, top of the mountain, or
the top of the head." Why "top of the head"? Because the hairs on the top
of the head often form a whorl, a whi...
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Vertical
Vertical: In anatomy, upright. As opposed to horizontal.
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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Vertical transmission
Vertical transmission: Passage of a
disease-causing agent (a pathogen)
vertically from mother directly to baby during the
perinatal period, the
period immediately before and after birth. The perinatal
period is defined
in
diverse ways. Depending on the definition, it starts at the
20th to 28th
...
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Vertigo
Vertigo: Aside from being the name
of a classic 1958 Alfred Hitchcock film (with Jimmy Stewart
and Kim Novak), vertigo is a feeling that you are dizzily
turning around or that things are dizzily turning about
you. Vertigo is usually due to a problem with the inner
ear. Vertigo can also be cau...
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Vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional (BPPV)
Vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional (BPPV): A balance disorder that results in the sudden onset of dizziness, spinning, or vertigo when moving the head....
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Vertigo, recurrent aural
Vertigo, recurrent aural: A condition, also known as Meniere's disease, with recurrent vertigo accompanied by ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and deafness. Symptoms include vertigo, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of hearing (in the affected ear), and abnormal eye movements.
Meniere's syndrome or ...
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Very low calorie diet (VLCD)
Very low calorie diet
(VLCD): The Very low calorie diet (VLCD) is a doctor-supervised weight loss plan that uses commercially prepared formulas (usually shakes and/or bars) to achieve significant short-term weight loss. The shakes or bars typically replace all food consumption for a period of week...
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VES (Voluntary Euthanasia Society)
VES (Voluntary Euthanasia Society):The first society of its kind in the world -- its founders included doctors, lawyers and churchmen -- the VES was set up in England in 1935. The announced aim of the VES is to make it legal for a competent adult suffering unbearably from an incurable illness to rec...
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Vesical
Vesical: Refers to the urinary bladder. The word comes
from the Latin vesica meaning a bag or bladder....
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Vesicant
Vesicant: A substance that
causes tissue blistering. A blister agent. Also called a vesicatory.Vesicants are highly reactive chemicals that combine with proteins, DNA, and other cellular components to result in cellular changes immediately after exposure.
Vesicants can be used as agents of chemica...
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Vesicate
Vesicate: To blister....
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Vesicatory
Vesicatory: A substance that causes tissue
blistering. Also referred to as a vesicant....
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Vesicle
Vesicle: In dermatology, a vesicle is a small blister, as on the skin. Vesicles also occur on the mucous membranes, such as the buccal mucosa (the lining of the mouth). Vesicles are less than .5 centimeters in diameter.In anatomy, a vesicle is any small pouch. For example, the seminal vesicles are ...
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Vesicle, seminal
Vesicle, seminal: See: Seminal vesicle....
