DICTIONARY OF NURSING Part 8 pps

쒁 patent medicine proprietary name proprietary name /prə|praiətəri neim/ noun a trade name for a drugproprioception proprioception /prəυpriə|sepʃən/ noun thereaction of nerves to body mo

prolapsed intervertebral disc 246

prolapsed intervertebral disc

prolapsed intervertebral disc /prəυ|lpst

intə|vtəbrəl disk/ noun a condition in which

an intervertebral disc becomes displaced or where

the soft centre of a disc passes through the hard

cartilage of the exterior and presses onto a nerve

Abbreviation PID Also called slipped disc

prolapse of the rectum

prolapse of the rectum /prəυlps əv ðə

rektəm/ noun a condition in which mucous

membrane of the rectum moves downwards and

passes through the anus

prolapse of the uterus

prolapse of the uterus /prəυlps əv ðə

jutərəs/, prolapse of the womb /prəυlps

əv ðə wum/ noun a movement of the uterus

downwards due to weakening of the structures of

the pelvic floor, e.g because of age or a difficult

childbirth Also called metroptosis, prolapsed

uterus, uterine prolapse

proliferate

proliferate /prə|lifəreit/ verb to produce many

similar cells or parts, and so grow (NOTE:

promethazine /prəυ|meθəzin/ noun an

anti-histamine drug used in the treatment of allergies

and motion sickness

prominence

prominence /prɒminəns/ noun a part of the

body which sticks out or stands out Also called

projection Compare promontory

promontory

promontory /prɒmənt(ə)ri/ noun a section of

an organ, especially the middle ear and sacrum

which stands out above the rest Compare

projec-tion, prominence

pronation

pronation /prəυ|neiʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of

turn-ing the hand round so that the palm faces

down-wards Opposite supination See illustration at

ANATOMICAL TERMS in Supplement

pronator

pronator /prəυ|neitə/ noun a muscle which

makes the hand turn face downwards

prone

prone /prəυn/ adjective lying face downwards

Opposite supine

prophase

prophase /prəυfeiz/ noun the first stage of

mitosis when the chromosomes are visible as long

thin double threads

prophylactic

prophylactic /prɒfə|lktik/ noun a substance

which helps to prevent the development of a

prophylaxis

prophylaxis /prɒfə|lksis/ noun the

preven-tion of disease (NOTE: The plural is

prophy-laxes.)

propranolol

propranolol /prəυ|pnəlɒl/ noun a drug that

slows heart rate and heart output, used in the

treat-ment of angina pectoris, irregular heart rhythms,

migraine and high blood pressure

proprietary

proprietary /prə|praiət(ə)ri/ adjective

belong-ing to a commercial company

proprietary medicine

proprietary medicine /prə|praiət(ə)ri

med(ə)s(ə)n/, proprietary drug /prə|

praiət(ə)ri dr/ noun a drug which is sold

under a trade name 쒁 patent medicine

proprietary name

proprietary name /prə|praiət(ə)ri neim/

noun a trade name for a drugproprioception

proprioception /prəυpriə|sepʃən/ noun thereaction of nerves to body movements and therelaying of information about movements to thebrain

proprioceptor

proprioceptor /prəυpriə|septə/ noun the end

of a sensory nerve which reacts to stimuli frommuscles and tendons as they move

proptosis

proptosis /prɒp|təυsis/ noun forward placement of the eyeball

dis-

prosop-prosop- /prɒsəp/, prosopo- /prɒsəpəυ/ prefix

referring to the faceprostaglandin

prostaglandin /prɒstə|lndin/ noun any of

a class of unsaturated fatty acids found in allmammals which control smooth muscle contrac-tion, inflammation and body temperature, areassociated with the sensation of pain and have aneffect on the nervous system, blood pressure and

in particular the uterus at menstruationprostate

prostate /prɒsteit/ noun same as prostate

gland (NOTE: Do not confuse with prostrate.)왍

prostate trouble inflammation or enlargement of

the prostate gland (informal)

prostate cancer

prostate cancer /prɒsteit knsə/ noun amalignant tumour of the prostate gland, foundespecially in men over 55

prostatectomy

prostatectomy /prɒstə|tektəmi/ noun a gical operation to remove all or part of the pros-tate gland (NOTE: The plural is prostatecto-

sur-mies.)

prostate gland

prostate gland /prɒsteit lnd/ noun an shaped gland in males which surrounds the ure-thra below the bladder and secretes a fluid con-taining enzymes into the sperm See illustration at

O-UROGENITAL SYSTEM ( MALE ) in Supplement.

Also called prostateCOMMENT: As a man grows older, the pros-tate gland tends to enlarge and constrict thepoint at which the urethra leaves the bladder,making it difficult to pass urine

prostatic

prostatic /prɒ|sttik/ adjective referring to orbelonging to the prostate gland

prostatic hypertrophy

prostatic hypertrophy /prɒ|sttik hai|

ptrəfi/ noun an enlargement of the prostategland

prostatitis

prostatitis /prɒstə|taitis/ noun inflammation

of the prostate glandprostatorrhoea

prostatorrhoea /prɒstətə|riə/ noun charge of fluid from the prostate gland (NOTE:

dis-The US spelling is prostatorrhea.)

prosthesis

prosthesis /prɒs|θisis/ noun a device which isattached to the body to take the place of a partwhich is missing, e.g an artificial leg or glass eye

prosthetic

prosthetic /prɒs|θetik/ adjective replacing apart of the body which has been amputated orremoved 쑗 He was fitted with a prosthetic hand.

247 prurigo

prosthetic dentistry

prosthetic dentistry /prɒs|θetik dentistri/

noun the branch of dentistry which deals with

replacing missing teeth parts of the jaw, and

fit-ting dentures, bridges and crowns Also called

prosthodontics

prosthodontics

prosthodontics /prɒsθə|dɒntiks/ noun same

as prosthetic dentistry (NOTE: Takes a singular

verb.)

prostrate

prostrate /prɒstreit/ adjective lying face

prostration

prostration /prɒ|streiʃ(ə)n/ noun extreme

tiredness of body or mind

protamine

protamine /prəυtəmin/ noun a simple protein

found in fish, used with insulin to slow down the

insulin absorption rate

protanopia

protanopia /prəυtə|nəυpiə/ noun same as

Daltonism

protease

protease /prəυtieiz/ noun a digestive enzyme

which breaks down protein in food by splitting

the peptide link Also called proteolytic enzyme

Protection of Children Act 1999

Protection of Children Act 1999 /prə|

tekʃən əv tʃildrən kt/ noun in the UK, an

Act of Parliament to protect children by

restrict-ing the employment of certain nurses, teachers or

other workers whose jobs bring them into contact

with children, on grounds such as misconduct or

health

protective isolation

protective isolation /prə|tektiv aisə|

leiʃ(ə)n/ noun a set of procedures used to protect

people who have impaired resistance to infectious

disease, e.g those with leukemia and lymphoma,

Aids and graft patients Also called reverse

iso-lation

protein

protein /prəυtin/ noun a nitrogen compound

which is present in and is an essential part of all

living cells in the body, formed by the linking of

amino acids

protein balance

protein balance /prəυtin bləns/ noun a

situation when the nitrogen intake in protein is

equal to the excretion rate in the urine

protein-bound iodine

protein-bound iodine /prəυtin baυnd

aiədin/ noun a compound of thyroxine and

iodine

protein-bound iodine test

protein-bound iodine test /prəυtin baυnd

aiədin test/ noun a test to measure if the

thy-roid gland is producing adequate quantities of

thyroxine Abbreviation PBI test

protein deficiency

protein deficiency /prəυtin di|fiʃ(ə)nsi/

noun a lack of enough proteins in the diet

proteinuria

proteinuria /prəυti|njυəriə/ noun a condition

in which there are proteins in the urine

proteose

proteose /prəυtiəυs/ noun a water-soluble

compound formed during hydrolytic processes

such as digestion

Proteus

Proteus /prəυtiəs/ noun a genus of bacteria

commonly found in the intestines

prothrombin

prothrombin /prəυ|θrɒmbin/ noun a protein

which needs Vitamin K to be effective Alsocalled Factor II

prothrombin time

prothrombin time /prəυ|θrɒmbin taim/ noun

the time taken in Quick test for clotting to takeplace

ton pump mechanism.

protozoa /prəυtə|zəυə/ plural of protozoonprotozoan

protozoan /prəυtə|zəυən/ adjective referring

to protozoaprotozoon

protozoon /prəυtə|zəυɒn/ noun a tiny simpleorganism with a single cell (NOTE: The plural is

protozoa or protozoons.)

COMMENT: Parasitic protozoa can causeseveral diseases, including amoebiasis, ma-laria and other tropical diseases

protuberance

protuberance /prə|tjub(ə)rəns/ noun arounded part of the body which projects above therest

proud flesh

proud flesh /praυd fleʃ/ noun new vesselsand young fibrous tissue which form when awound, incision or lesion is healing

provider

provider /prə|vaidə/ noun a hospital whichprovides secondary care which is paid for byanother body such as a PCG or social services 쒁

purchaser

provitamin

provitamin /prəυ|vitəmin/ noun a chemicalcompound which is converted to a vitamin duringusual biochemical processes, e.g the amino acidtryptophan, which is converted to niacin, and betacarotene, which is converted into vitamin Aproximal

proximal /prɒksim(ə)l/ adjective near the line, the central part of the body

mid-proximal convoluted tubule

proximal convoluted tubule /prɒksim(ə)l

kɒnvəlutid tjubjul/ noun a part of the ney filtering system between the loop of Henleand the glomerulus

kid-proximal interphalangeal joint

proximal interphalangeal joint

/prɒksim(ə)l intəfə|lnd iəl d ɔint/ noun ajoint nearest the point of attachment of a finger ortoe Abbreviation PIP

pruritus 248

pruritus

pruritus /pruə|raitəs/ noun an irritation of the

skin which makes a person want to scratch Also

called itching

pruritus ani

pruritus ani /pruə|raitis einai/ noun itching

round the anal orifice

pruritus vulvae

pruritus vulvae /pruə|raitis vlvi/ noun

itching round the vulva

pseud-pseud- /sjud/ prefix same as pseudo- (used

before vowels)

pseudarthrosis

pseudarthrosis /sjudɑ|θrəυsis/ noun a

false joint, as when the two broken ends of a

frac-tured bone do not bind together but heal

sepa-rately (NOTE: The plural is pseudarthroses.)

pseudo-pseudo- /sjudəυ/ prefix similar to something

but not the same

pseudoangina

pseudoangina /sjudəυn|d ainə/ noun

pain in the chest, caused by worry but not

indicat-ing heart disease

pseudocrisis

pseudocrisis /sjudəυ|kraisis/ noun a

sud-den fall in the temperature of a person with fever

which does not mark the end of the fever

pseudocroup

pseudocroup /sjudəυ|krup/ noun same as

laryngismus

pseudocyesis

pseudocyesis /sjudəυsai|isis/ noun a

con-dition in which a woman has the physical

symp-toms of pregnancy but is not pregnant Also called

phantom pregnancy, pseudopregnancy

pseudocyst

pseudocyst /sjudəυsist/ noun a false cyst

pseudogynaecomastia

pseudogynaecomastia /sjudəυ|ainikəυ|

mstiə/ noun enlargement of the male breast

because of extra fatty tissue (NOTE: The US

spell-ing is pseudogynecomastia.)

pseudohermaphroditism

pseudohermaphroditism /sjudəυh|

mfrədaitiz(ə)m/ noun a condition in which a

person has either ovaries or testes but external

genitalia that are not clearly of either sex

pseudohypertrophy

pseudohypertrophy /sjudəυhai|ptrəfi/

noun an overgrowth of fatty or fibrous tissue in a

part or organ, which results in the part or organ

being enlarged

pseudomonad

pseudomonad /sjudəυ|məυnəd/ noun a

rod-shaped bacterium which lives in soil or

decomposing organic material and can cause

dis-ease in plants and sometimes in humans

noun a condition in which symptoms such as

stomach cramps, nausea and bloating indicate a

blockage in the intestines although no blockage

exists

pseudoplegia

pseudoplegia /sjudəυ|plid ə/,

pseudopa-ralysis /sjudəυpə|rləsis/ noun loss of

mus-cular power in the limbs without true paralysis

pseudopolyposis

pseudopolyposis /sjudəυpɒli|pəυsis/

noun a condition in which polyps are found in

many places in the intestine, usually resulting

from an earlier infection

psilosis

psilosis /sai|ləυsis/ noun a disease of the smallintestine which prevents a person from absorbingfood properly Also called sprue

psoas major

psoas major /səυs meid ə/ noun a muscle

in the groin which flexes the hippsoas minor

psoas minor /səυs mainə/ noun a smallmuscle similar to the psoas major but not alwayspresent

psoriasis

psoriasis /sə|raiəsis/ noun a common matory skin disease where red patches of skin arecovered with white scales

inflam-psoriatic

psoriatic /sɔri|tik/ adjective referring topsoriasis

psoriatic arthritis

psoriatic arthritis /sɔritik ɑ|θraitis/

noun a form of psoriasis which is associated witharthritis

psychedelic /saikə|delik/ adjective referring

to drugs such as LSD which expand a person’sconsciousness

psychiatric

psychiatric /saiki|trik/ adjective referring

to psychiatry 쑗 He is undergoing psychiatric

treatment.

psychiatric hospital

psychiatric hospital /saiki|trik

hɒspit(ə)l/ noun a hospital which specialises inthe treatment of patients with mental disorderspsychiatrist

psychiatrist /sai|kaiətrist/ noun a doctor whospecialises in the diagnosis and treatment of men-tal and behavioural disorders

psychic /saikik/, psychical /saikik(ə)l/

adjective 1. referring to a person who is edly able to guess thoughts which people have notexpressed, or to foresee the future 2 relating to ororiginating in the human mind

psychoanalyst

psychoanalyst /saikəυ|n(ə)list/ noun aperson who is trained in psychoanalysispsychodrama

psychodrama /saikəυ|drɑmə/ noun a type

of psychotherapy in which patients act out roles indramas illustrating their emotional problems, infront of other patients

psychodynamics

psychodynamics /saikəυdai|nmiks/ noun

the study of how the forces which affect humanbehaviour and mental states work, especially on asubconscious level

psychogenic

psychogenic /saikə|d enik/,

psychoge-netic /saikəυd ə|netik/, psychogenous /sai|

kɒd ənəs/ adjective referring to an illness

249 ptyalin

which starts in the mind, rather than in a physical

state

psychogeriatrics

psychogeriatrics /saikəυd eri|triks/

noun the study of the mental disorders of the late

stages of the natural life span

psychological

psychological /saikə|lɒd ik(ə)l/

adjec-tive referring to psychosurgerypsychotherapeutic

psychotherapeutic /saikəυθerə|pjutik/

adjective referring to psychotherapypsychotherapist

psychotherapist /saikəυ|θerəpist/ noun aperson trained to give psychotherapy

psychotherapy

psychotherapy /saikəυ|θerəpi/ noun thetreatment of mental disorders by psychologicalmethods, as when a psychotherapist encourages aperson to talk about his or her problems 쒁 ther-

refer-pterion

pterion /tiəriɒn/ noun the point on the side ofthe skull where the frontal, temporal parietal andsphenoid bones meet

pteroylglutamic acid

pteroylglutamic acid /terəυaillu|tmik

sid/ noun same as folic acidpterygium

pterygium /tə|rid iəm/ noun a degenerativecondition in which a triangular growth of con-junctiva covers part of the cornea, with its apextowards the pupil

pterygo-pterygo- /teriəυ/ suffix the pterygoid processpterygoid process

pterygoid process /teriɔid prəυses/ noun

one of two projecting parts on the sphenoid boneptosis

ptosis /təυsis/ noun prolapse of an organ-ptosis

-ptosis /təυsis/ suffix prolapsePTSD

disor-derptyal-

ptyal- /taiəl/ prefix same as ptyalo- (used

before vowels)

ptyalin

ptyalin /taiəlin/ noun an enzyme in salivawhich cleanses the mouth and converts starch intosugar

ptyalism 250

ptyalism

ptyalism /taiəliz(ə)m/ noun the production of

an excessive amount of saliva

pubertal /pjubət(ə)l/, puberal /pjubərəl/

adjective referring to puberty

puberty

puberty /pjubəti/ noun 1. the physical and

psychological changes which take place when

childhood ends and adolescence and sexual

matu-rity begin and the sex glands become active 2 the

time when these changes take place

pubes

pubes 1 /pjubiz/ noun the part of the body just

above the groin, where the pubic bones are found

pubes

pubes 2

/pjubiz/ plural of pubis

pubic

pubic /pjubik/ adjective referring to the area

near the genitals

pubic bone

pubic bone /pjubik bəυn/ noun the bone in

front of the pelvis Also called pubis See

illus-tration at UROGENITAL SYSTEM ( MALE ) in

Supple-ment

pubic hair

pubic hair /pjubik heə/ noun tough hair

growing in the genital region

pubic louse

pubic louse /pjubik laυs/ noun also called

Pediculus pubis

pubic symphysis

pubic symphysis /pjubik simfəsis/ noun a

piece of cartilage which joins the two sections of

the pubic bone Also called symphysis pubis

COMMENT: In a pregnant woman, the pubic

symphysis stretches to allow the pelvic

gir-dle to expand so that there is room for the

baby to pass through

pubiotomy

pubiotomy /pjubi|ɒtəmi/ noun a surgical

operation to divide the pubic bone during labour,

in order to make the pelvis wide enough for the

child to be born safely (NOTE: The plural is

pubi-otomies.)

pubis

pubis /pjubis/ noun a bone forming the front

part of the pelvis See illustration at PELVIS in

Supplement (NOTE: The plural is pubes.)

public health

public health /pblik helθ/ noun the study of

illness, health and disease in the community

public health laboratory service

public health laboratory service /pblik

helθ lə|bɒrət(ə)ri svis/ noun in the UK, a

former service of the NHS which detected,

diag-nosed and monitored suspected cases of

infec-tious disease in a countrywide network of

labora-tories Abbreviation PHLS

public health medicine

public health medicine /pblik helθ

med(ə)s(ə)n/ noun the branch of medicine

con-cerned with health and disease in populations,

with the responsibilities of monitoring health,

identification of health needs, development of

policies which promote health and evaluation of

health services

public health nurse

public health nurse /pblik helθ ns/

noun a nurse such as a school nurse, health visitor

or other community nurse who monitors health

and works to prevent illness in community

situa-public health physician

public health physician /pblik helθ fi|

ziʃ(ə)n/ noun a consultant who has special ing in public health medicine

pudendal block /pju|dend(ə)l blɒk/ noun

an operation to anaesthetise the pudendum duringchildbirth

puerperal infection /pju|p(ə)rəl in|

fekʃən/, puerperal fever /pju|p(ə)rəl fivə/

noun an infection of the uterus and genital tractafter the birth of a baby, which is more common

in women who have had a caesarean section Itcauses a high fever, and occasionally sepsis,which can be fatal and was commonly so in thepast Also called postpartum fever

puerperalism

puerperalism /pju|p(ə)rəliz(ə)m/ noun anillness of a baby or its mother resulting from orassociated with childbirth

puerperium

puerperium /pjuə|piəriəm/ noun a period ofabout six weeks which follows immediately afterthe birth of a child, during which the mother’ssexual organs recover from childbirth

direction 쑗 He pulled a muscle in his back 왍 to pull the plug to switch off life support (informal)

쐽왍 to pull yourself together to become calmer

쑗 Although he was very angry he soon pulled

pulmo-pulmo- /plməυ/, pulmon- /plmən/ prefix

referring to the lungspulmonary

pulmonary /plmən(ə)ri/ adjective referring

to the lungspulmonary artery

pulmonary artery /plmən(ə)ri ɑtəri/

noun one of the two arteries which take genated blood from the heart to the lungs for oxy-genation See illustration at HEART in Supple-ment

deoxy-pulmonary circulation

pulmonary circulation /plmən(ə)ri

skjυ|leiʃ(ə)n/ noun the circulation of bloodfrom the heart through the pulmonary arteries to

251 purine

through the pulmonary veins Also called lesser

circulation

pulmonary embolism

pulmonary embolism /plmən(ə)ri

embəliz(ə)m/ noun a blockage of a pulmonary

artery by a blood clot Abbreviation PE

pulmonary hypertension

pulmonary hypertension /plmən(ə)ri

haipə|tenʃən/ noun high blood pressure in the

blood vessels supplying blood to the lungs

pulmonary insufficiency

pulmonary insufficiency /plmən(ə)ri

insə|fiʃ(ə)nsi/, pulmonary incompetence

/plmən(ə)ri in|kɒmpit(ə)ns/ noun a condition

characterised by dilatation of the main pulmonary

artery and stretching of the valve ring, due to

pul-monary hypertension

pulmonary oedema

pulmonary oedema /plmən(ə)ri i|dimə/

noun the collection of fluid in the lungs, as occurs

in left-sided heart failure

pulmonary stenosis

pulmonary stenosis /plmən(ə)ri ste|

nəυsis/ noun a condition in which the opening to

the pulmonary artery in the right ventricle

becomes narrow

pulmonary tuberculosis

pulmonary tuberculosis /plmən(ə)ri tju|

bkjυ|ləυsis/ noun tuberculosis in the lungs,

which makes the person lose weight, cough blood

and have a fever

pulmonary valve

pulmonary valve /plmən(ə)ri vlv/ noun a

valve at the opening of the pulmonary artery

pulmonary vein

pulmonary vein /plmən(ə)ri vein/ noun

one of the four veins which carry oxygenated

blood from the lungs back to the left atrium of the

heart See illustration at HEART in Supplement

which carry oxygenated blood.)

pulmonectomy

pulmonectomy /plmə|nektəmi/ noun same

as pneumonectomy (NOTE: The plural is

pul-monectomies.)

pulp

surrounded by hard tissue as in the inside of a

tooth

pulp cavity

pulp cavity /plp kviti/ noun the central

part of a tooth containing soft tissue

pulsation

pulsation /pl|seiʃ(ə)n/ noun the action of

beating regularly, e.g the visible pulse which can

be seen under the skin in some parts of the body

pulse

pulse /pls/ noun the regular expansion and

contraction of an artery caused by the heart

pump-ing blood through the body, which can be felt with

the fingers especially where an artery is near the

surface of the body, as in the wrist or neck 쑗 Her

pulse is very irregular 왍 to take or feel a

per-son’s pulse to measure a perper-son’s pulse rate by

pressing on the skin above an artery with the

fin-gers 쑗 Has the patient’s pulse been taken?

pulseless

pulseless /plsləs/ adjective referring to a

person who has no pulse because the heart is

beat-ing very weakly

pulse oximetry

pulse oximetry /pls ɒk|simətri/ noun a

method of measuring the oxygen content of

pulsus bigeminus

pulsus bigeminus /plsəs bai|eminəs/

noun a double pulse, with an extra ectopic beatpulsus paradoxus

punch drunk syndrome /pntʃ drŋk

sindrəυm/ noun a condition affecting a person,usually a boxer, who has been hit on the headmany times and develops impaired mental facul-ties, trembling limbs and speech disorderspuncta

puncta /pŋktə/ plural of punctumpuncta lacrimalia

puncta lacrimalia /pŋktə lkri|meiliə/

plural noun small openings at the corners of theeyes through which tears drain into the nosepunctate

punctate /pŋkteit/ adjective referring to sue or a surface which has tiny spots, holes ordents in it

tis-punctum

punctum /pŋktəm/ noun a point (NOTE: The

plural is puncta.)

puncture

puncture /pŋktʃə/ noun a neat hole made by

a sharp instrument 쐽 verb to make a hole in tissuewith a sharp instrument (NOTE: puncturing –

pupillary /pjupiləri/ adjective referring to thepupil

pupillary reaction

pupillary reaction /pjupiləri ri|kʃən/

noun a reflex of the pupil of the eye which tracts when exposed to bright light Also called

con-light reflex

purchaser

purchaser /ptʃisə/ noun a body, usually aPCG, which commissions health care and man-ages the budget to pay for the service 쒁 provider

purgation

purgation /p|eiʃ(ə)n/ noun the use of a drug

to cause a bowel movementpurgative

purgative /pətiv/ noun a drug used toempty the bowels 쒁 laxative

purine

purine /pjυərin/ noun 1. a nitrogen-containingsubstance derived from uric acid which is the par-ent compound of several biologically important

Purkinje cells 252

either of the bases adenine and guanine, which are

found in RNA and DNA

Purkinje cells

Purkinje cells /pə|kind i selz/ plural noun

neurones in the cerebellar cortex [Described

1837 After Johannes Evangelista Purkinje

(1787–1869), Professor of Physiology at

Bre-slau, now in Poland, and then Prague, Czech

Republic.]

Purkinje fibres

Purkinje fibres /pə|kind i faibəz/ plural

noun a bundle of fibres which form the

atrioven-tricular bundle and pass from the atriovenatrioven-tricular

node to the septum [Described 1839 After

Johannes Evangelista Purkinje (1787–1869),

Professor of Physiology at Breslau, now in

Poland, and then Prague, Czech Republic.]

Purkinje shift

Purkinje shift /pə|kind i ʃift/ noun the

change in colour sensitivity which takes place in

the eye in low light when the eye starts using the

rods in the retina because the light is too weak to

stimulate the cones

purpura

purpura /ppjυrə/ noun a purple colouring on

the skin, similar to a bruise, caused by blood

dis-ease and not by trauma

pursestring operation

pursestring operation /psstriŋ ɒpə|

reiʃ(ə)n/ same as Shirodkar’s operation

pursestring stitch

pursestring stitch /psstriŋ stitʃ/ noun

same as Shirodkar suture

purulent

purulent /pjυərυlənt/ adjective containing or

producing pus

pus

blood serum, pieces of dead tissue, white blood

cells and the remains of bacteria, formed by the

body in reaction to infection (NOTE: For other

terms referring to pus, see words beginning with

putrefaction /pjutri|fkʃən/ noun the

decomposition of organic substances by bacteria,

making an unpleasant smell

pyaemia /pai|imiə/ noun invasion of blood

with bacteria which then multiply and form many

little abscesses in various parts of the body (NOTE:

The US spelling is pyemia.)

pyarthrosis

pyarthrosis /paiɑ|θrəυsis/ noun a condition

in which a joint becomes infected with pyogenic

organisms and fills with pus Also called acute

pyelocystitis /paiələυsi|staitis/ noun

inflammation of the pelvis of the kidney and theurinary bladder

pyelogram

pyelogram /paiələrm/ noun an X-ray tograph of a kidney and the urinary tractpyelography

pho-pyelography /paiə|lɒrəfi/ noun X-ray ination of a kidney after introduction of a contrastmedium

exam-pyelolithotomy

pyelolithotomy /paiələυli|θɒtəmi/ noun asurgical operation to remove a stone from the pel-vis of the kidney (NOTE: The plural is pyelo-

lithotomies.)

pyelonephritis

pyelonephritis /paiələυni|fraitis/ noun

inflammation of the kidney and the pelvis of thekidney

pylephlebitis /pailiflə|baitis/ noun sis of the portal vein

thrombo-pylethrombosis

pylethrombosis /pailiθrɒm|bəυsis/ noun acondition in which blood clots are present in theportal vein or any of its branches

pyloric orifice

pyloric orifice /pai|lɒrik ɒrifis/ noun anopening where the stomach joins the duodenumpyloric sphincter

pyloric sphincter /pai|lɒrik sfiŋktə/ noun amuscle which surrounds the pylorus, makes itcontract and separates it from the duodenumpyloric stenosis

pyloric stenosis /pai|lɒrik ste|nəυsis/ noun

a blockage of the pylorus, which prevents foodfrom passing from the stomach into the duode-num

253 pyuria

combined with treatment for peptic ulcers (NOTE:

The plural is pyloroplasties.)

pylorospasm

pylorospasm /pai|lɔrəspz(ə)m/ noun a

muscle spasm which closes the pylorus so that

food cannot pass through into the duodenum

pylorotomy

pylorotomy /pailə|rɒtəmi/ noun a surgical

operation to cut into the muscle surrounding the

pylorus to relieve pyloric stenosis Also called

Ramstedt’s operation (NOTE: The plural is

pylorotomies.)

pylorus

pylorus /pai|lɔrəs/ noun an opening at the

bot-tom of the sbot-tomach leading into the duodenum

pyo-pyo- /paiəυ/ prefix referring to pus

pyocolpos

pyocolpos /paiə|kɒlpəs/ noun an

accumula-tion of pus in the vagina

pyoderma

pyoderma /paiə|dmə/ noun an eruption of

pus in the skin

pyoderma gangrenosum

pyoderma gangrenosum /paiədmə

ŋri|nəυsəm/ noun a serious ulcerating

dis-ease of the skin, especially the legs, usually

treated with steroid drugs

pyogenic

pyogenic /paiə|d enik/ adjective producing

or forming pus

pyometra

pyometra /paiə|mitrə/ noun an accumulation

of pus in the uterus

pyomyositis

pyomyositis /paiəυmaiə|saitis/ noun

inflam-mation of a muscle caused by staphylococci or

streptococci

pyonephrosis

pyonephrosis /paiəυni|frəυsis/ noun the

distension of the kidney with pus

pyopericarditis

pyopericarditis /paiəυperikɑ|daitis/ noun

an inflammation of the pericardium due to

infec-tion with staphylococci, streptococci or

pneumo-cocci

pyopneumothorax

pyopneumothorax /paiəυ|njuməυ|

θɔrks/ noun an accumulation of pus and gas

or air in the pleural cavity

pyorrhoea

pyorrhoea /paiə|riə/ noun discharge of pus

pyosalpinx

pyosalpinx /paiə|slpiŋks/ noun

inflamma-tion and formainflamma-tion of pus in a Fallopian tube

in Supplementpyramidal

pyramidal /pi|rmid(ə)l/ adjective referring to

a pyramidpyramidal cell

pyramidal cell /pi|rmid(ə)l sel/ noun acone-shaped cell in the cerebral cortexpyramidal system

pyramidal system /pi|rmid(ə)l sistəm/,

pyramidal tract /pi|rmid(ə)l trkt/ noun agroup of nerve fibres within the pyramid of themedulla oblongata in the brain It is thought to bevital in controlling movement and speech.pyret-

pyret- /pairet/, pyreto- prefix relating to heat orfever

sub-pyuria /paijυəriə/ noun pus in the urine

q.d.s.

q.d.s. adverb (written on prescriptions) to be

taken four times a day Full form quater in die

sumendus

Q fever

Q fever /kju fivə/ noun an infectious

rickett-sial disease of sheep and cows caused by Coxiella

burnetti transmitted to humans

QRS complex

QRS complex /kju ɑr es kɒmpleks/ noun

the deflections on an electrocardiogram, labelled

Q, R, and S, which show ventricular contraction

쒁 PQRST complex

q.s.

necessary Full form quantum sufficiat

Q-T interval

Q-T interval /kju ti intəv(ə)l/, Q-S2

inter-val /kju es tu intəv(ə)l/ noun the length of

the QRS complex in an electrocardiogram 쒁

quadrant /kwɒdrənt/ noun one of four sectors

of the body thought of as being divided by the

sagittal plane and the intertubercular plane 쑗

ten-derness in the right lower quadrant

quadratus femoris

quadratus femoris /kwɒ|dreitəs feməris/

noun a muscle at the top of the femur which

rotates the thigh

quadri-quadri- /kwɒdri/ prefix four

quadriceps

quadriceps /kwɒdriseps/, quadriceps

fem-oris /kwɒdriseps femɒris/ noun a large

mus-cle in the front of the thigh, which extends to the

leg

quadriplegia

quadriplegia /kwɒdri|plid ə/ noun paralysis

of all four limbs, both arms and both legs

quadriplegic

quadriplegic /kwɒdri|plid ik/ adjective

par-alysed in both arms and both legs 쐽 noun a

per-son paralysed in both arms and both legs

quadruple

quadruple /kwɒdrυp(ə)l/ adjective 1.

consist-ing of four times as much 2 havconsist-ing four parts

quadruplet

quadruplet /kwɒdrυplət/ noun one of four

babies born to a mother at the same time Also

called quad

quadruple vaccine

quadruple vaccine /kwɒdrυp(ə)l vksin/

noun a vaccine which immunises against four

dis-eases, diphtheria, whooping cough, poliomyelitis

qualitative

qualitative /kwɒlitətiv/ adjective referring to

a study in which descriptive information is lected Compare quantitative

col-quality

quality /kwɒliti/ noun 1. a characteristic ofsomebody or something 2 the general standard orgrade of something 3 the highest or finest stand-ard

quality assurance

quality assurance /kwɒliti ə|ʃυərəns/ noun

a set of criteria which are designed to check thatpeople in an organisation maintain a high stand-ard in the products or services they supplyquality circle

quality circle /kwɒləti sk(ə)l/ noun agroup of employees from different levels of anorganisation who meet regularly to discuss ways

of improving the quality of its products or ices

serv-Qualpacs

Qualpacs /kwɒlpks/, Quality Patient Care

Scale /kwɒliti peiʃ(ə)nt keə skeil/ noun amethod which guides nurses to evaluate theiractivity in terms of efficiency of cost, time, use ofskill level and workload

quantitative

quantitative /kwɒntitətiv/ adjective referring

to a study in which numerical information is lected Compare qualitative

col-quantitative digital radiography

quantitative digital radiography

/kwɒntitətiv did it(ə)l reidi|ɒrəfi/ noun

the use of digital X-ray scans to find out whether

a person has a bone disease such as osteoporosis.The levels of calcium in the bones are measured,usually in the spine and hip

quarantine

quarantine /kwɒrəntin/ noun 1. the situation

in which a person, animal or ship just arrived in acountry is kept isolated in case it carries a seriousdisease, to allow the disease time to develop and

be detected 2 the period of such isolation to vent the spread of disease 쑗 six months’ quaran-

quartan fever

quartan fever /kwɔt(ə)n fivə/ noun a form

of malaria caused by Plasmodium malariae in

which the fever returns every four days 쒁 tertian

255 Q wave

Queckenstedt test

Queckenstedt test /kwekənsted test/ noun

a test done during a lumbar puncture in which

pressure is applied to the jugular veins to see if the

cerebrospinal fluid is flowing correctly

[Described 1916 After Hans Heinrich George

Queckenstedt (1876–1918), German physician.]

quickening

quickening /kwikniŋ/ noun the first sign of

life in an unborn baby, usually after about four

months of pregnancy, when the mother can feel it

moving in her uterus

quiescent

quiescent /kwi|es(ə)nt/ adjective referring to a

disease with symptoms reduced either by

treat-ment or in the usual course of the disease

quin

quinine

quinine /kwi|nin/ noun an alkaloid drug made

from the bark of cinchona, a South American tree

quinolone

quinolone /kwinələυn/ noun a drug used to

treat Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial

infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts and

drugs have names ending in -oxacin:

Q wave /kju weiv/ noun a negative deflection

at the start of the QRS complex on an

rabid /rbid/ adjective referring to rabies, or

affected by rabies 쑗 She was bitten by a rabid

dog.

rabid encephalitis

rabid encephalitis /rbid en|kefə|laitis/

noun a fatal form of encephalitis resulting from

the bite of a rabid animal

rabies

rabies /reibiz/ noun a frequently fatal viral

disease transmitted to humans by infected

ani-mals 쑗 The hospital ordered a batch of rabies

vaccine Also called hydrophobia

racemose

racemose /rsiməυs/ adjective referring to

glands which look like a bunch of grapes

rachis /reikis/ noun same as backbone (NOTE:

The plural is rachises or rachides.)

absorbed radiation dose 쒁 becquerel, gray

rads.)

radial

radial /reidiəl/ adjective 1. referring to

some-thing which branches 2 referring to the radius

bone in the arm

radial artery

radial artery /reidiəl ɑtəri/ noun an artery

which branches from the brachial artery, running

near the radius, from the elbow to the palm of the

hand

radial nerve

radial nerve /reidiəl nv/ noun the main

motor nerve in the arm, running down the back of

the upper arm and the outer side of the forearm

radial pulse

radial pulse /reidiəl pls/ noun the main

pulse in the wrist, taken near the outer edge of the

forearm just above the wrist

radial recurrent

radial recurrent /reidiəl ri|krənt/ noun an

artery in the arm which forms a loop beside the

radial reflex

radial reflex /reidiəl rifleks/ noun a jerkmade by the forearm when the insertion in theradius of one of the muscles, the brachioradialis,

is hitradiant

radiant /reidiənt/ adjective 1. lit with a bright

or glowing light 2 referring to light, heat or otherenergy sent out in the form of rays or waves 3.sending out light, heat or other energy in the form

of rays or wavesradiation

radiation /reidi|eiʃ(ə)n/ noun waves of energywhich are given off by some substances, espe-cially radioactive substances

radiation burn

radiation burn /reidi|eiʃ(ə)n bn/ noun aburn on the skin caused by exposure to largeamounts of radiation

radiation sickness

radiation sickness /reidi|eiʃ(ə)n siknəs/

noun an illness caused by exposure to radiationfrom radioactive substances

radiation treatment

radiation treatment /reidi|eiʃ(ə)n

tritmənt/ noun same as radiotherapyradical

radical /rdik(ə)l/ adjective aiming to dealwith the root of a problem, taking thorough action

to remove the source of a disease rather than treatits symptoms

radical mastectomy

radical mastectomy /rdik(ə)l m|

stektəmi/ noun a surgical operation to remove abreast and the lymph nodes and muscles associ-ated with it

radical mastoidectomy

radical mastoidectomy /rdik(ə)l mstɔi|

dektəmi/ noun a surgical operation to remove all

of the mastoid processradical treatment

radical treatment /rdik(ə)l tritmənt/

noun treatment which aims at complete tion of a disease

radiculitis /rə|dikjυ|laitis/ noun inflammation

of a radicle of a cranial or spinal nerveradio-

radio- /reidiəυ/ prefix 1. referring to radiation 2.referring to radioactive substances 3 referring tothe radius in the arm

257 rape

radioactive isotope

radioactive isotope /reidiəυktiv

aisətəυp/ noun an isotope which sends out

radi-ation, used in radiotherapy and scanning

radioactivity

radioactivity /reidiəυk|tiviti/ noun energy

in the form of radiation emitted by a radioactive

substance

radiobiologist

radiobiologist /reidiəυbai|ɒləd ist/ noun a

doctor who specialises in radiobiology

radiobiology

radiobiology /reidiəυbai|ɒləd i/ noun the

scientific study of radiation and its effects on

liv-ing thliv-ings

radiocarpal joint

radiocarpal joint /reidiəυ|kɑp(ə)l d ɔint/

noun the joint where the radius articulates with

the scaphoid, one of the carpal bones Also called

wrist joint

radiodermatitis

radiodermatitis /reidiəυ|dmə|taitis/ noun

inflammation of the skin caused by exposure to

radiation

radiograph

radiograph /reidiərɑf/ noun an image

pro-duced on film or another sensitive surface when

radiation such as X-rays or gamma rays passes

through an object 쐽 verb to make a radiograph of

something, especially a part of the body

radiographer

radiographer /reidi|ɒrəfə/ noun 1. a person

specially trained to operate a machine to take

X-ray photographs or radiographs Also called

diag-nostic radiographer 2 a person specially

trained to use X-rays or radioactive isotopes in the

treatment of patients Also called therapeutic

radiographer

radiography

radiography /reidi|ɒrəfi/ noun the work of

examining the internal parts of the body by taking

X-ray photographs

radioimmunoassay

radioimmunoassay /reidiəυ|imjυnəυ|

sei/ noun the use of radioactive tracers to

investigate the presence of antibodies in blood

samples, in order to measure the antibodies

them-selves or the amount of particular substances,

such as hormones, in the blood

radioisotope

radioisotope /reidiəυ|aisətəυp/ noun an

iso-tope of a chemical element which is radioactive

radiologist

radiologist /reidi|ɒləd ist/ noun a doctor

who specialises in radiology

radiology

radiology /reidi|ɒləd i/ noun the use of

radia-tion to diagnose disorders, e.g through the use of

X-rays or radioactive tracers, or to treat diseases

such as cancer

radiomimetic

radiomimetic /reidiəυmi|metik/ adjective

referring to a drug or chemical which produces

similar effects to those of radiation, e.g the

nitro-gen mustard group of chemicals used in

chemo-therapy

radionuclide

radionuclide /reidiəυ|njuklaid/ noun an

ele-ment which gives out radiation

radionuclide scan

radionuclide scan /reidiəυ|njuklaid

skn/ noun a scan, especially of the brain, where

radionuclides are put in compounds which are

radio-opaque

radio-opaque /reidiəυ əυ|peik/ adjective

absorbing and blocking radiant energy, e.g rays

X-radio-opaque dye

radio-opaque dye /reidiəυ əυ|peik dai/

noun a liquid which appears on an X-ray, andwhich is introduced into soft organs such as thekidney so that they show up clearly on an X-rayphotograph

examina-radiosensitive

radiosensitive /reidiəυ|sensitiv/ adjective

referring to a cancer cell which is sensitive toradiation and can be treated by radiotherapyradiotherapist

radiotherapist /reidiəυ|θerəpist/ noun adoctor who specialises in radiotherapyradiotherapy

radiotherapy /reidiəυ|θerəpi/ noun the ment of diseases by exposing the affected part toradioactive rays such as X-rays or gamma raysradium

treat-radium /reidiəm/ noun a radioactive metallicelement (NOTE: The chemical symbol is Ra.)

radius

radius /reidiəs/ noun the shorter and outer ofthe two bones in the forearm between the elbowand the wrist See illustration at HAND in Supple-

in the forearm is the ulna.)

radix

radix /reidiks/ noun same as root (NOTE: The

plural is radices or radixes.)

radon

radon /reidɒn/ noun a radioactive gas, formedfrom the radioactive decay of radium, and used incapsules called radon seeds to treat cancers insidethe body (NOTE: The chemical symbol is Rn.)

rale

Ramstedt’s operation

Ramstedt’s operation /rɑmstets ɒpə|

reiʃ(ə)n/ noun same as pylorotomy [Described

1912 After Wilhelm Conrad Ramstedt (1867–1963), German surgeon.]

ramus

ramus /reiməs/ noun 1. a branch of a nerve,artery or vein 2 the ascending part on each side ofthe mandible (NOTE: The plural is rami.)

R & D

R & D abbreviation research and developmentrandomised

randomised /rndəmaizd/, randomized

adjective involving subjects which have beenselected without a prearranged plan and in no par-ticular pattern or order

ranitidine

ranitidine /r|nitidin/ noun a drug whichreduces the amount of acid released by the stom-ach It is used to treat peptic ulcers and gastritis.ranula

ranula /rnjυlə/ noun a small cyst under thetongue, on the floor of the mouth, which formswhen a salivary duct is blocked

Ranvier

Ranvier /rɑnvi|ei/쏡 node of Ranvier

rape

to have sexual intercourse쐽 verb to force

some-raphe 258

raphe

raphe /reifi/ noun a long thin fold which looks

like a seam, along a midline such as on the dorsal

face of the tongue

rapid eye movement sleep

rapid eye movement sleep /rpid ai

muvmənt slip/ noun same as REM sleep

rapport

rapport /r|pɔ/ noun an emotional bond or

friendly relationship between people 쑗 a

psychi-atrist who quickly establishes a rapport with his

patients

rarefaction

rarefaction /reəri|fkʃən/ noun a condition

in which bone tissue becomes more porous and

less dense because of a lack of calcium

rash

stays on the skin for a period of time, and then

dis-appears

raspatory

raspatory /rspət(ə)ri/ noun a surgical

instru-ment like a file, which is used to scrape the

sur-face of a bone

rate

something compared with something else 2 the

number of times something happens in a set time

쑗 The heart was beating at a rate of only 59 per

minute.

ratio

ratio /reiʃiəυ/ noun a number which shows a

proportion or which is the result of one number

divided by another 쑗 An IQ is the ratio of the

per-son’s mental age to his or her chronological age.

Raynaud’s disease

Raynaud’s disease /reinəυz di|ziz/,

Ray-naud’s phenomenon /reinəυz fi|nɒminən/

noun a condition with various possible causes in

which the blood supply to the fingers and toes is

restricted and they become cold, white and numb

Also called dead man’s fingers, vasospasm

[Described 1862 After Maurice Raynaud

Obstetri-cians and Gynaecologists

reaction /ri|kʃən/ noun 1. an action which

takes place as a direct result of something which

has happened earlier 쑗 A rash appeared as a

reaction to the penicillin injection. 2 the

particu-lar response of someone to a test

reactionary

reactionary /ri|kʃən(ə)ri/ adjective same as

reactive

reactionary haemorrhage

reactionary haemorrhage /ri|kʃən(ə)ri

hem(ə)rid / noun bleeding which follows an

sub-real-time imaging

real-time imaging /riəl taim imid ...

neurones in the cerebellar cortex [Described

183 7 After Johannes Evangelista Purkinje

(1 787 – 186 9), Professor of Physiology at

Bre-slau, now in Poland, and then Prague,... tissue as in the inside of a

tooth

pulp cavity

pulp cavity /plp kviti/ noun the central

part of a tooth containing soft tissue

pulsation... branch of medicine

con-cerned with health and disease in populations,

with the responsibilities of monitoring health,

identification of health needs, development of

policies