DICTIONARY OF NURSING Part 10 pdf

쒁 Standard cautions Pre-universal recipient sipiənt/ noun a person with blood group ABwho can receive blood from all the other bloodgroups unsaturated fat fat which does not have a large

UKCC

UKCC abbreviation United Kingdom Central

Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health

Visit-ing

ulcer

a mucous membrane, which is inflamed and

diffi-cult to heal 쑗 stomach ulcer

ulcerative

ulcers, or characterised by ulcers

ulcerative colitis

noun severe pain in the colon, with diarrhoea and

ulcers in the rectum, often with a psychosomatic

cause

ulceromembranous gingivitis

membrənəs d ind i|vaitis/ noun

inflamma-tion of the gums, which can also affect the

mucous membrane in the mouth

ule-ule- prefix relating to a scar, or to scar tissue

ulna

ulna /lnə/ noun the longer and inner of the two

bones in the forearm between the elbow and the

wrist See illustration atHAND in Supplement.

Compare radius

ulnar

ulnar artery

which branches from the brachial artery at the

elbow and runs down the inside of the forearm to

join the radial artery in the palm of the hand

ulnar nerve

runs from the neck to the elbow and controls the

muscles in the forearm and some of the fingers

COMMENT: The ulnar nerve passes near the

surface of the skin at the elbow, where it can

easily be hit, giving the effect of the ‘funny

bone’

ultrafiltration

process of filtering the blood to remove tiny

par-ticles, e.g when the blood is filtered by the kidney

ultrasonic

ultrasound

ultrasonic probe

an instrument which locates organs or tissues

inside the body using ultrasound

ultrasonics

ultrasound and its use in medical treatments

procedure of passing ultrasound waves throughthe body and recording echoes which show details

of internal organs Also called echography

ultrasound

fre-quency sound waves which can be reflected offinternal body parts or off a fetus in the womb tocreate images for medical examination (NOTE: No

plural for ultrasound.)

ultrasound marker

noun an unusual physical characteristic seen in anultrasound examination of a fetus which is anindication of the existence of a genetic or devel-opmental disorder

ultrasound probe

same as ultrasonic probe

ultrasound scanning

skniŋ/, ultrasound screening /ltrəsaυnd

skriniŋ/ noun a method of gathering tion about the body by taking images using high-frequency sound waves

informa-ultrasound treatment

tritmənt/ noun the treatment of soft tissueinflammation using ultrasound waves

ultraviolet

to the short invisible rays beyond the violet end ofthe spectrum, which form the element in sunlightwhich tans the skin, helps the skin produce Vita-min D and kills bacteria Abbreviation UV

ultraviolet lamp

lamp which gives off ultraviolet raysultraviolet radiation

eiʃ(ə)n/, ultraviolet rays /ltrə|vaiələt reis/

noun short invisible rays of ultraviolet light.Abbreviation UVR

umbilical

the navelumbilical cord

cord containing two arteries and one vein which

319

uran-umbilical hernia

a hernia which bulges at the navel, usually in

young children Also called exomphalos

umbilicated

small depression, like a navel, in the centre

umbilicus

umbo

umbo /mbəυ/ noun a projecting part in the

middle of the outer side of the eardrum

un-un- /n/ prefix not

unciform bone

the eight small carpal bones in the wrist, shaped

like a hook Also called hamate bone

uncinate

hook

unconditioned response

ri|spɒns/ noun a response to a stimulus which

occurs automatically, by instinct, and has not

been learned

unconscious

of what is happening 쑗 She was unconscious for

two days after the accident. 쐽 noun왍 the

stores feelings, memories or desires that someone

cannot consciously call up 쒁 subconscious

unconsciousness

state of being unconscious, e.g as a result of lack

of oxygen or from some other external cause such

as a blow on the head

undecenoic acid

undecylenic acid /n|disilenik sid/ noun a

substance made from castor bean oil, used in the

treatment of fungal infections such as thrush

undine

solution to bathe the eyes

to an organism formed of one cell

unigravida

primigravida

unilateral

one side of the body only

unilateral oophorectomy

əυəfə|rektəmi/ noun the surgical removal of

one ovary

union

two parts of a fractured bone Opposite

non-union 쒁 malunion

uniovular

coming from, one ovum

uniovular twins

noun same as identical twins

unipara

unipolar neurone

noun a neurone with a single process Compare

multipolar neurone, bipolar neurone Seeillustration atNEURONE in Supplement

unit

unit /junit/ noun 1. a single part of a largerwhole 2. a part of a hospital that has a specialisedfunction 쑗 a burns unit 3. a named and agreedstandard amount used for measuring something 쑗

A gram is an SI unit of weight. 4. a quantity of adrug, enzyme, hormone or of blood, taken as astandard for measurement and producing a giveneffect 쑗 three units of blood 쑗 a unit of insulin 5.

a machine or device 쑗 a waste-disposal unit

United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting

United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting

/ju|naitid kiŋdəm sentrəl kaυnsəl fə

nsiŋ mid|wifəri ənd helθ vizitiŋ/ noun inthe UK from 1979 until April 2002, an organisa-tion which regulated nurses, midwives, and healthvisitors The UKCC and the four National Boardshave now been replaced by the Nursing and Mid-wifery Council Abbreviation UKCC

universal donor

a person with blood group O, whose blood may begiven to anyone

Universal Precautions

kɔʃ(ə)nz/ abbreviation UP 쒁 Standard cautions

Pre-universal recipient

sipiənt/ noun a person with blood group ABwho can receive blood from all the other bloodgroups

unsaturated fat

fat which does not have a large amount of gen, and so can be broken down more easilyunstable angina

noun angina which has suddenly become worseunstriated muscle

noun same as smooth muscle

upper respiratory infection

spirət(ə)ri in|fekʃən/ noun an infection in theupper part of the respiratory system

the four bases in RNA in which it pairs with ine

thym-uraemia

kidney failure, where urea is retained in the blood,and the person develops nausea, convulsions and

in severe cases goes into a comauraemic

urae-mia, or having uraemiauran-

excessive amounts of urates in the urine, e.g in

gout

urea

urea /jυ|riə/ noun a substance produced in the

liver from excess amino acids, and excreted by the

kidneys into the urine

uresis

ureter

tubes which take urine from the kidneys to the

uri-nary bladder See illustration atKIDNEY in

Sup-plement Also called urinary duct

surgical removal of a ureter

ureteric

ure-teral

ureteric calculus

noun a kidney stone in the ureter

ureteric catheter

a catheter passed through the ureter to the kidney,

to inject an opaque solution into the kidney before

ureter caused by narrowing of the opening where

the ureter enters the bladder

ureterocolostomy

noun a surgical operation to implant the ureter

into the sigmoid colon, so as to bypass the bladder

ureteroenterostomy

rɒstəmi/ noun an artificially formed passage

between the ureter and the intestine

ureterolith

ureter

ureterolithotomy

the surgical removal of a stone from the ureter

ureterolysis

operation to free one or both ureters from

adhe-sions or surrounding tissue

ureteroneocystostomy

niəυsai|stɒstəmi/ noun a surgical operation to

transplant a ureter to a different location in the

sur-gical operation to repair a ureter

ureteropyelonephritis

paiələυnifraitis/ noun inflammation of the

ureter and the pelvis of the kidney to which it isattached

ureteroscope

instrument which is passed into the ureter and upinto the kidneys, usually used to locate or remove

a stoneureteroscopy

examination of the ureter with a ureteroscopeureterosigmoidostomy

dɒstəmi/ same as ureterocolostomy

ureterostomy

surgi-cal operation to make an artificial opening for theureter into the abdominal wall, so that urine can

be passed directly out of the bodyureterotomy

operation to make an incision into the ureter,mainly to remove a stone

ureterovaginal

urethra

urine from the bladder to be passed out of thebody See illustration atUROGENITAL SYSTEM in

Supplementurethral

urethraurethral catheter

a catheter passed up the urethra to allow urine toflow out of the bladder, used to empty the bladderbefore an abdominal operation Also called uri- nary catheter

urethral stricture

condition in which the urethra is narrowed orblocked by a growth Also called urethrosteno- sis

urethritis

of the urethraurethro-

ure-thraurethrocele

formed in a weak part of the wall of the urethraurethrogram

photograph of the urethraurethrography

examination of the urethraurethroplasty

surgi-cal operation to repair a urethraurethrorrhaphy

surgi-cal operation to repair a torn urethraurethrorrhoea

dis-charge of fluid from the urethra, usually ated with urethritis

associ-urethroscope

surgi-cal instrument, used to examine the interior of aman’s urethra

urethroscopy

examination of the inside of a man’s urethra with

a urethroscope

321 urticaria

urethrostenosis

same as urethral stricture

urethrostomy

surgi-cal operation to make an opening for a man’s

ure-thra between the scrotum and the anus

urethrotomy

operation to open a blocked or narrowed urethra

Also called Wheelhouse’s operation

urge incontinence

noun a condition in which someone feels a very

strong need to urinate and cannot retain their

urine

-uria

a disease characterised by a condition of the urine

uric acid

com-pound which is formed from nitrogen in waste

products from the body and which also forms

crystals in the joints of people who have gout

vowels)

urinalysis

urine, to detect diseases such as diabetes mellitus

urinary

urine

urinary bladder

sac where the urine collects after passing from the

kidneys through the ureters, before being passed

out of the body through the urethra See

illustra-tion atKIDNEY, UROGENITAL SYSTEM ( MALE ) in

Supplement

urinary catheter

same as urethral catheter

urinary duct

ureter

urinary incontinence

kɒntinəns/ noun the involuntary emission of

urine

urinary obstruction

strkʃən/ noun a blockage of the urethra, which

prevents urine being passed

urinary retention

noun the inability to pass urine, usually because

the urethra is blocked or because the prostate

gland is enlarged Also called urine retention

urinary system

system of organs and ducts which separate waste

liquids from the blood and excrete them as urine,

including the kidneys, bladder, ureters and

ure-thra

urinary tract

of tubes down which the urine passes from the

kidneys to the bladder and from the bladder out of

the body

urinary tract infection

fekʃən/ noun a bacterial infection of any part of

the urinary system Symptoms are usually a need

to urinate frequently and pain on urination

urinate

bodyurination

urine out of the body Also called micturition

urine

contain-ing water and waste products, mainly salt andurea, which is excreted by the kidneys and passedout of the body through the ureters, bladder andurethra

urine retention

same as urinary retention

uriniferous tubule

tjubjul/ noun same as renal tubule

instru-ment which measures the specific gravity of urineurobilin

pig-ment formed when urobilinogen comes into tact with air

con-urobilinogen

colourless pigment formed when bilirubin isreduced to stercobilinogen in the intestinesurochrome

which colours the urine yellowurodynamics

noun the active changes which occur during thefunction of the bladder, urethral sphincter andpelvic floor muscles

urogenital

referring to the urinary and genital systems Alsocalled urinogenital

urogenital system

sistəm/ noun the whole of the urinary tract andreproductive system

urogram

of the urinary tract, or of a part of iturography

exami-nation of part of the urinary system after injection

of radio-opaque dyeurokinase

formed in the kidneys, which begins the process

of breaking down blood clotsurolith

systemurological

refer-ring to urologyurologist

specialises in urologyurology

the urinary system and its diseasesurostomy

crea-tion of an artificial urethraurticaria

to injections, particular foods or plants where theskin forms irritating reddish patches Also called

inside of the uterus

uterine procidentia

denʃə/, uterine prolapse /jutərain

prəυlps/ noun a condition in which part of the

uterus has passed through the vagina, usually

after childbirth

COMMENT: Uterine procidentia has three

stages of severity: in the first the cervix

de-scends into the vagina, in the second the

cervix is outside the vagina, but part of the

uterus is still inside, and in the third stage,

the whole uterus passes outside the vagina

uterine retroflexion

flekʃ(ə)n/ noun a condition in which the uterus

bends backwards away from its usual position

uterine retroversion

vʃ(ə)n/ noun a condition in which the uterus

slopes backwards away from its usual position

uterography

examination of the uterus

referring to the uterus and the bladder

uterus

woman’s pelvic cavity, behind the bladder and in

front of the rectum in which the embryo develops

before birth Also called womb See illustration

atUROGENITAL SYSTEM ( FEMALE ) in Supplement(NOTE: For other terms referring to the uterus,

see words beginning with hyster-, hystero-, metr-, metro-.)

uterus didelphys

noun same as double uterus

utricle

noun a large sac inside the vestibule of the ear,which relates information about the upright posi-tion of the head to the brain

UV

UV abbreviation ultravioletuvea

uvea /juviə/ noun a layer of organs in the eyebeneath the sclera, formed of the iris, the ciliarybody and the choroid Also called uveal tract

part of the uveaUVR

UVR abbreviation ultraviolet radiationuvula

which hangs down from the back of the soft palateuvular

uvulauvulectomy

surgi-cal removal of the uvulauvulitis

the uvulauvulopalatopharyngoplasty

plətəυfə|riŋəυplsti/ noun a surgical ation to remove the uvula and other soft tissue inthe palate, in order to widen the airways and treatthe problem of snoring Abbreviation UPPP

vaccinate

vac-cine into a person’s body in order to make the

body create its own antibodies, so making the

per-son immune to the disease (NOTE: You vaccinate

someone against a disease.)

vaccination

of vaccinating someone

COMMENT: Originally the words vaccination

and vaccine applied only to smallpox

immu-nisation, but they are now used for

immuni-sation against any disease Vaccination is

mainly given against cholera, diphtheria,

ra-bies, smallpox, tuberculosis, and typhoid

vaccine

contains antigens to a disease or a weak form of a

disease, used to protect people against it

vacuum

completely empty of all matter, including air

vacuum extraction

noun the procedure of pulling on the head of the

baby with a suction instrument to aid birth

vacuum extractor

noun a surgical instrument formed of a rubber

suction cup which is used in vacuum extraction

during childbirth

vacuum suction

method used to achieve an abortion, after

dilata-tion of the cervix Also called aspiration

vagal

nerve

vagal tone

the vagus nerve to slow the beat of the sinoatrial

node

vagina

woman’s reproductive tract between the entrance

to the uterus, the cervix, and the vulva, able to

stretch enough to allow a baby to pass through

during childbirth See illustration atUROGENITAL

SYSTEM ( FEMALE ) in Supplement (NOTE: For

other terms referring to the vagina, see words

beginning with colp-, colpo-.)

vaginal bleeding

bleeding from the vagina

vaginal delivery

noun the birth of a baby through the mother’svagina, without surgical intervention

vaginal diaphragm

noun a circular contraceptive device for women,which is inserted into the vagina and placed overthe neck of the uterus before sexual intercoursevaginal discharge

noun the flow of liquid from the vaginavaginal douche

the process of washing out the vagina 2. a device

or liquid for washing out the vaginavaginal examination

neiʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of checking the vagina forsigns of disease or growth

vaginal suppository

pɒzit(ə)ri/ noun same as pessary 1

vaginismus

contraction of the vagina which prevents sexualintercourse

vaginitis

the vagina which is mainly caused by the

bacte-rium Trichomonas vaginalis or by a fungus

Can-dida albicans

vaginoplasty

surgi-cal operation to graft tissue on to the vaginavaginoscope

as colposcope

vagotomy

opera-tion to cut through the vagus nerve which controlsthe nerves in the stomach, as a treatment for pep-tic ulcers

vagus

noun either of the tenth pair of cranial nerveswhich carry sensory and motor neurons servingthe heart, lungs, stomach, and various otherorgans and control swallowing Also called

pneumogastric nerve

valgus

/vlə/ adjective turning outwards 쒁 hallux valgus Compare varus

validity

being based on sound research and methodswhich exclude alternative explanations of a resultvaline

Valium 324

Valium

vallate papillae

large papillae which form a line towards the back

of the tongue and contain taste buds

Valsalva’s manoeuvre

nuvə/ noun the process of breathing out while

holding the nostrils closed and keeping the mouth

shut, used in order to test the functioning of the

Eustachian tubes or to adjust the pressure in the

middle ear

valve

to allow liquid to pass in one direction only, e.g

in the heart, blood vessels or lymphatic vessels

valvotomy

oper-ation to cut into a valve to make it open wider

valvula

The plural is valvulae.)

valvulitis

of a valve in the heart

valvuloplasty

sur-gery to repair valves in the heart without opening

anti-biotic which is effective against some bacteria

which are resistant to other antibiotics Strains of

bacteria resistant to vancomycin have now

devel-oped

van den Bergh test

noun a test of blood serum to see if a case of

jaun-dice is caused by an obstruction in the liver or by

haemolysis of red blood cells [After A.A Hijmans

van den Bergh (1869–1943), Dutch physician.]

vaporiser

device which warms a liquid to which medicinal

oil has been added, so that it provides a vapour

which someone can inhale

vapour

of a gas 2. steam from a mixture of a liquid and a

medicinal oil

vara

vara /veərə/ adjective same as varus

variant CJD

form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which was

observed first in the 1980s, especially affecting

younger people Abbreviation vCJD

varicectomy

operation to remove a vein or part of a vein

or having varicose veins 2. designed for the

treat-ment of varicose veins 3. relating to or producing

swelling

varicose eczema

eczema which develops on the legs, caused by

varicose ulcer

ulcer in the leg as a result of bad circulation andvaricose veins

varicose vein

usually in the legs, which becomes twisted andswollen

varicosity

condition of being swollen and twistedvaricotomy

operation to make a cut into a varicose veinvarifocals

spec-tacles with lenses which have varying focallengths from top to bottom, for looking at things

at different distances from the wearervariola

varix

especially a swollen vein in the leg (NOTE: The

plural is varices.)

varus

/veərə/ adjective turning inwards 쒁 coxa vara.Compare valgus

noun the group of small tubes which sperm traveldown from the testis to the epididymisvasa vasorum

noun tiny blood vessels in the walls of largerblood vessels

vascular

blood vesselsvascularisation

vascularization noun the development of newblood vessels

vascular lesion

damage to a blood vesselvascular system

the series of vessels such as veins, arteries andcapillaries, carrying blood around the bodyvasculitis

of a blood vesselvas deferens

illus-tration atUROGENITAL SYSTEM ( MALE ) in ment Also called ductus deferens, sperm duct (NOTE: The plural is vasa deferentia.)

Supple-vasectomy

oper-ation to cut a vas deferens, in order to preventsperm travelling from the epididymis up the ductvas efferens

many tiny tubes which take the spermatozoa fromthe testis to the epididymis (NOTE: The plural is

vasa efferentia.)

ves-sel 2. referring to the vas deferensvasoactive

an effect on the blood vessels, especially

con-325 venogram

vasoconstriction

noun a contraction of blood vessels which makes

them narrower

vasoconstrictor

chemical substance which makes blood vessels

become narrower, so that blood pressure rises,

e.g ephedrine hydrochloride

vasodilatation

vasodilation /veizəυdai|leiʃ(ə)n/ noun the

relaxation of blood vessels, especially the

arter-ies, making them wider and leading to increased

blood flow or reduced blood pressure

vasodilator

chemi-cal substance which makes blood vessels become

wider, so that blood flows more easily and blood

pressure falls, e.g hydralazine hydrochloride

vaso-epididymostomy

mɒstəmi/ noun a surgical operation to reverse a

vasectomy in which the cut end of the vas

defer-ens is joined to a tubule within the epididymis

above a blockage in it

vasomotion

con-trol of the diameter of blood vessels and thus of

blood flow 쒁 vasoconstriction, vasodilatation

vasomotor

refer-ring to the control of the diameter of blood vessels

vasomotor centre

noun a nerve centre in the brain which changes

the rate of heartbeat and the diameter of blood

vessels and so regulates blood pressure

vasomotor nerve

noun a nerve in the wall of a blood vessel which

affects the diameter of the vessel

vasopressor

sub-stance which increases blood pressure by

narrow-ing the blood vessels

vasospasm

spasm causing the fingers to become cold, white

and numb 쒁 Raynaud’s disease

vasovagal

refer-ring to the vagus nerve and its effect on the

heart-beat and blood circulation

vasovagal attack

noun a fainting fit as a result of a slowing down of

the heartbeats caused by excessive activity of the

vagus nerve

vasovasostomy

surgical operation to reverse a vasectomy

vasovesiculitis

inflammation of the seminal vesicles and a vas

spe-cialising in the diagnosis and treatment of

vene-vector

carries a disease and can pass it to humans 쑗 The

tsetse fly is a vector of sleeping sickness.

vegan

meat, dairy produce, eggs or fish and eats onlyvegetables and fruit쐽 adjective involving a diet

of only vegetables and fruitvegetarian

who does not eat meat, but eats mainly vegetablesand fruit and sometimes dairy produce, eggs orfish 쐽 adjective involving a diet without meatvegetation

a membrane, e.g on the cusps of valves in theheart

vegetative

growth of tissue or organsvehicle

of a drug is putvein

vein /vein/ noun a blood vessel which takesdeoxygenated blood containing waste carbondioxide from the tissues back to the heart (NOTE:For other terms referring to veins see words

beginning phleb-, phlebo- or vene-, veno-.)

vena cava

large veins which take deoxygenated blood fromall the other veins into the right atrium of theheart See illustration atHEART in Supplement,

KIDNEY in Supplement (NOTE: The plural is

venae cavae.)

venepuncture

puncturing a vein either to inject a drug or to take

a blood samplevenereal

acts or sexual desire 2. relating to the genitals 3.

referring to an infection or disease which is mitted through sexual intercourse 쑗 venereal

trans-warts

venereal disease

disease which is passed from one person toanother during sexual intercourse Abbreviation

VD (NOTE: Now usually called a sexually mitted infection (STI).)

trans-venereal wart

on the genitals or in the urogenital areavenereology

scien-tific study of venereal diseasesvenesection

where a vein is cut so that blood can be removed,e.g when taking blood from a donor

of slowly introducing a saline or other solutioninto a vein

venogram

sys-tem of veins which brings blood back to the heart

from the tissues

venous thrombosis

noun the blocking of a vein by a blood clot

venous ulcer

the leg, caused by varicose veins or by a blood

clot

ventilation

breathing air in or out of the lungs, so removing

waste products from the blood in exchange for

oxygen 쒁 dead space

ventilator

pumps air into and out of the lungs of someone

who has difficulty in breathing 쑗 The newborn

baby was put on a ventilator Also called

respira-tor

Ventimask

type of oxygen mask

Ventolin

salbuta-mol

ventouse

device attached to the top of an unborn baby’s

head in the process of delivery, used to enable a

distressed baby to be born quickly

ventral

abdomen 2. referring to the front of the body

Opposite dorsal

ventricle

organ, especially in the heart or brain See

illus-tration atHEART in Supplement

ven-tricle in the brain or heart

ventricular

to the ventricles

ventricular fibrillation

leiʃ(ə)n/ noun a serious heart condition where

the ventricular muscles flutter and the heart no

longer beats Abbreviation VF

ventricular folds

noun same as vocal cords

ventricular septal defect

sept(ə)l di|fekt/ noun a condition in which

blood can flow between the two ventricles of the

heart, because the intraventricular septum has not

developed properly Abbreviation VSD

ventriculoatriostomy

ɒstəmi/ noun an operation to relieve pressure

caused by excessive quantities of cerebrospinal

ventriculo-peritoneal shunt

peritə|niəl ʃnt/ noun an artificial drain used

in hydrocephalus to drain cerebrospinal fluidfrom the ventricles

ventriculoscopy

an examination of the brain using an endoscopeventriculostomy

surgical operation to pass a hollow needle into aventricle of the brain so as to reduce pressure,take a sample of fluid or enlarge the ventricularopening to prevent the need for a shuntventro-

ventrofixation

surgical operation to treat retroversion of theuterus by attaching the uterus to the wall of theabdomen

ventrosuspension

noun a surgical operation to treat retroversion ofthe uterus

Venturi mask

of disposable mask which gives the person a trolled mixture of oxygen and air

con-Venturi nebuliser

noun a type of nebuliser which is used in aerosoltherapy

venule

leading from tissue to a larger veinvera

vera /viərə/쏡 decidua

verapamil

com-pound which helps to prevent the movement ofcalcium ions across membranes It is used in thetreatment of angina pectoris, hypertension andirregular heartbeat

vermiform appendix

pendiks/ noun same as appendix 1

vermillion border

the external red parts of the lipsvermix

vernix caseosa

oily substance which covers a baby’s skin at birthverruca

growth on the sole of the foot, caused by a virus(NOTE: Verrucas are a type of wart The plural is

verrucas or verrucae.)

version

turn-ing a fetus in a uterus so as to put it in a betterposition for birth

vertebra

ring-shaped bones which link together to form thebackbone See illustration at CARTILAGINOUS JOINT in Supplement (NOTE: The plural is verte- brae.)

vertebral

vertebraevertebral artery

of two arteries which go up the back of the neck

the series of bones and discs linked together to

form a flexible column running from the base of

the skull to the pelvis Also called backbone,

spinal column See illustration atPELVIS in

noun a hole in the centre of a vertebra which links

with others to form the vertebral canal through

which the spinal cord passes

vertex

vertex delivery

normal birth, where the baby’s head appears first

vertigo

or giddiness caused by a malfunction of the sense

of balance 2. a fear of heights, as a result of a

sen-sation of dizziness which is felt when high up,

especially on a tall building 쑗 She won’t sit near

the window – she suffers from vertigo.

vesical

bladder

vesicle

the skin, e.g caused by eczema 2. a sac which

/vesi|kɒtəmi/ noun same as cystostomy

vesicoureteric reflux

riflks/ noun the flowing of urine back from the

bladder up the ureters during urination, which

may carry infection from the bladder to the

kid-neys Also called vesicouretic reflux

vesicouretic

relating to the urinary bladder and the ureters

vesicouretic reflux

riflks/ noun same as vesicoureteric reflux

vesicovaginal

adjec-tive referring to the bladder and the vagina

vesicovaginal fistula

fistjυlə/ noun an unusual opening between the

bladder and the vagina

vesicular

vesicle

vesicular breathing

vesicular breath sound /və|sikjυlə breθ

saυnd/ plural noun the sound made during the

normal breathing process

vesiculation

for-mation of blisters on the skin

vesiculitis

inflamma-tion of the seminal vesicles

vesiculography

vesiculopapular

both blisters and papulesvesiculopustular

both blisters and pustulesvessel

along which liquid flows, especially a blood sel 2. a container for fluids

ves-vestibular

vestibule, especially the vestibule of the inner earvestibular glands

and vulva join, which secrete a lubricating stance

sub-vestibular nerve

part of the auditory nerve which carries tion about balance to the brain

informa-vestibule

body at the entrance to an organ, especially thefirst cavity in the inner ear or the space in the lar-ynx above the vocal cords or a nostril See illus-tration atEAR in Supplement

vestibulocochlear nerve

kɒkliə nv/ noun the eighth cranial nervewhich governs hearing and balance Also called

acoustic nerve, auditory nerve

vestigial

rudimentary form 쑗 The coccyx is a vestigial tail.

VF

VF abbreviation ventricular fibrillationviable

which can survive if born 쑗 A fetus is viable by

about the 28th week of pregnancy.

Viagra

cit-ratevial

vial /vaiəl/ noun same as phial

Vibramycin

doxycyclinevibrate

continuouslyvibration

con-tinuous movement 쑗 Speech is formed by the

vibrations of the vocal cords.

Vibrio

bacteria which are found in water and cause era

chol-vibrissae

nostrils or earsvicarious

organ or agent in place of anothervicarious menstruation

menstru|eiʃ(ə)n/ noun the discharge of bloodother than by the vagina during menstrual periodsvictim

an accident or who has caught a disease 쑗 The

victims of the rail crash were taken to the local hospital 왍 to fall victim to something to

vigour 328

from something 쑗 Half the people eating at the

restaurant fell victim to salmonella poisoning.

vigour

attributes expressed in rapid growth, large size,

high fertility and long life in an organism

villous

formed of villi

villus

on the surface of a mucous membrane (NOTE: The

plural is villi.)

vinblastine

drug used in the treatment of cancer

vincristine

drug similar to vinblastine, also used in the

treat-ment of cancer It works by blocking cell division

and is highly toxic

viraemia

viral hepatitis

same as serum hepatitis

viral infection

infection caused by a virus

viral pneumonia

a type of inflammation of the lungs caused by a

virus Also called virus pneumonia

virilisation

noun the development of male characteristics in a

woman, caused by a hormone imbalance or

ther-apy

virilism

such as body hair and a deep voice in a woman

virology

of viruses

virulence

microorganism to cause a disease 2. the degree of

effect of a disease

virulent

ability of a microorganism to cause a disease 쑗 an

unusually virulent strain of the virus 2. referring

to a disease which develops rapidly and has

strong effects

virus

nucleic acid surrounded by a protein coat that can

only develop in other cells Viruses cause many

diseases including the common cold, AIDS,

her-pes and polio (NOTE: Antibiotics have no effect

on viruses, but effective vaccines have been

developed for some viral diseases.)

virus pneumonia

noun same as viral pneumonia

viscera

organs, e.g the heart, lungs, stomach and

intes-tines

visceral

internal organs

visceral larva migrans

mairnz/ noun same as toxocariasis

visceral pleura

membrane attached to the surface of a lung Seeillustration atLUNGS in Supplement

which is sticky and slow-movingviscosity

which moves slowlyviscous

which is thick and slow-movingviscus

vision

eye-sight 쑗 After the age of 50, many people’s vision

begins to fail.

visual

visionvisual acuity

abil-ity to see objects clearlyvisual cortex

of the cerebral cortex which receives informationabout sight

visual field

can be seen without moving the eye Also called

field of vision

visualisation

visualiza-tion noun 1. a technique in which an image of aninternal organ or other part of the body is pro-duced by using X-rays or other means such asmagnetic resonance imaging 2. a technique inwhich someone creates a strongly positive mentalpicture of something such as the way in whichthey would like to solve a problem, in order tohelp them cope with it

visually impaired person

ps(ə)n/ noun a person whose eyesight is notclear

visual purple

rhodopsin

vital

nec-essary for life 쑗 If circulation is stopped, vital

nerve cells begin to die in a few minutes 쑗

Oxy-gen is vital to the human system.

vital capacity

largest amount of air which a person can exhale atone time

vital organs

most important organs in the body, without which

a human being cannot live, e.g the heart, lungsand brain

vital signs

meas-urements of pulse, breathing and temperaturevital statistics

noun a set of official statistics relating to the ulation of a place, such as the percentage of livebirths per thousand, the incidence of particulardiseases and the numbers of births and deaths

pop-329 voluntary movement

vitamin

not synthesised in the body, but found in most

foods, and needed for good health

Vitamin A

is soluble in fat and can be formed in the body

from precursors but is mainly found in food such

as liver, vegetables, eggs and cod liver oil Also

called retinol

Vitamin B

found in yeast, liver, cereals and pork Also called

thiamine

Vitamin B

found in eggs, liver, green vegetables, milk and

yeast Also called riboflavine

Vitamin B

found in meat, cereals and molasses Also called

pyridoxine

Vitamin B

vita-min found in liver and kidney, but not present in

vegetables Also called cyanocobalamin

Vitamin B complex

noun a group of vitamins such as folic acid,

ribo-flavine and thiamine

Vitamin C

is soluble in water and is found in fresh fruit,

especially oranges and lemons, raw vegetables

and liver Also called ascorbic acid

Vitamin D

is soluble in fat and is found in butter, eggs and

fish It is also produced by the skin when exposed

to sunlight It helps in the formation of bones, and

lack of it causes rickets in children

vitamin deficiency

noun a lack of necessary vitamins 쑗 He is

suffer-ing from Vitamin A deficiency 쑗 Vitamin C

defi-ciency causes scurvy.

Vitamin E

in vegetables, vegetable oils, eggs and wholemeal

bread

Vitamin K

found in green vegetables such as spinach and

cabbage, and which helps the clotting of blood

and is needed to activate prothrombin

vitiligo

white patches appear on the skin Also called

leu-coderma

vitrectomy

oper-ation to remove some or all of the vitreous

humour of the eye

vitreous

char-acteristics of glass 2. relating to the vitreous

humour of the eye

vitreous body

vitreous humour

vitreous detachment

noun the separation of the vitreous humour from

the retina, often due to natural ageing when the

vitreous humour thins, but also occurring in other

vitreous humour

transparent jelly which fills the main cavitybehind the lens in the eye See illustration atEYE

in Supplementvitritis

dis-secting a living animal as an experimentvocal

vocal cords

pair of fibrous sheets of tissue which span the

cav-ity of the voice box (larynx) and produce sounds

by vibrating Also called ventricular folds

vocal folds

same as vocal cords

vocal folds abducted

dktid/ noun the usual condition of the vocalcords in quiet breathing

vocal folds adducted

dktid/ noun the position of the vocal cords forspeaking

vocal fremitus

vibration of the chest when a person speaks orcoughs

vocal resonance

a sound heard by a doctor when he or she listensthrough a stethoscope to the chest while a person

is speakingvolar

the hand or sole of the footvolatile

which turns into gas at room temperaturevolitantes

volition

willVolkmann’s contracture

trktʃə/ noun a fibrosis and tightening of themuscles of the forearm because blood supply hasbeen restricted, leading to contraction of the fin-gers

volsella

for-ceps with claw-like hooks at the end of each arm.Also called vulsella

volume

sub-stancevoluntary

one wishes to do itvoluntary admission

miʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of taking someoneinto a psychiatric hospital with the person’s con-sent

voluntary movement

muvmənt/ noun a movement directed by theperson’s willpower, using voluntary muscles, e.g

voluntary muscle 330

voluntary muscle

noun a muscle which is consciously controlled It

is usually made up of striated fibres

COMMENT: Voluntary muscles work in pairs,

where one contracts and pulls, while the

oth-er relaxes to allow the bone to move

volvulus

which a loop of intestine is twisted and blocked,

so cutting off its blood supply

vomer

the septum of the nose

vomica

containing pus 2. the act of vomiting pus from the

throat or lungs

vomit

has been brought up from the stomach into the

mouth 쑗 His bed was covered with vomit 쑗 She

died after choking on her own vomit Also called

vomitus 쐽 verb to bring up partly digested food

from the stomach into the mouth 쑗 He had a

fever, and then started to vomit 쑗 She vomited

her breakfast.

vomiting

vomit into the mouth Also called emesis

vomitus

von Hippel-Lindau syndrome

lindaυ sindrəυm/ noun a disease in which

angiomas of the brain are related to angiomas and

cysts in other parts of the body

von Recklinghausen’s disease

rekliŋhaυz(ə)nz di|ziz/ noun 1. same as

neu-rofibromatosis 2. same as osteitis fibrosis

cystica [Described 1882 After Friedrich Daniel

von Recklinghausen (1833–1910), Professor ofPathology at Strasbourg, France.]

von Willebrand’s disease

vilibrndz di|ziz/ noun a hereditary blood ease, occurring in both sexes, in which themucous membrane starts to bleed without anyapparent reason It is caused by a deficiency of aclotting factor in the blood, called von Wille-brand’s factor [Described 1926 After E A vonWillebrand (1870–1949), Finnish physician.]von Willebrand’s factor

fktə/ noun a protein substance in plasmainvolved in platelet aggregation

noun same as volsella

before vowels)

vulva

organs, at the opening leading to the vagina 쒁

kraurosis vulvae (NOTE: For other terms ring to the vulva, see words beginning with

refer-episi-.)

vulvectomy

operation to remove the vulvavulvitis

vulva, causing intense irritationvulvovaginitis

inflammation of the vulva and vagina

waiting list

waiting for admission to hospital usually for

treat-ment of non-urgent disorders 쑗 The length of

waiting lists for non-emergency surgery varies

enormously from one region to another 쑗 It is

hoped that hospital waiting lists will get shorter.

walking distance

distance which someone can walk before they

experience pain in their muscles, which shows the

effectiveness of the blood supply to their legs

walking frame

frame used by people who have difficulty in

walk-ing 쒁 Zimmer frame

Wangensteen tube

noun a tube which is passed into the stomach to

remove the stomach’s contents by suction

[Described 1832 After Owen Harding

Wangen-steen (1898–1980), US surgeon.]

ward

ward /wɔd/ noun a room or set of rooms in a

hospital, with beds for the patients 쑗 He is in

Ward 8B 쑗 The children’s ward is at the end of

the corridor.

ward manager

nurse in charge of a ward

ward nurse

works in a hospital ward

ward sister

in charge of a ward

warfarin

crys-talline compound used to help prevent the blood

clotting

wart

wart /wɔt/ noun a small hard harmless growth

on the skin, usually on the hands, feet or face,

caused by a virus (NOTE: Warts on the feet are

called verrucas.)

wasting disease

disease which causes severe loss of weight or

reduction in size of an organ

water

which makes up a large part of the body 쑗 Can I

have a glass of water please? 쑗 They suffered

dehydration from lack of water 왍 water on the

knee fluid in the knee joint under the kneecap,

caused by a blow on the knee 2. urine (informal)

쑗 He passed a lot of water during the night 쑗

She noticed blood streaks in her water 쑗 The

nurse asked him to give a sample of his water.쐽

which a fetus floats (informal ) Also called otic fluid

amni-water bed

of a large heavy plastic bag filled with water, used

to prevent bedsoreswaterbrash

caused by dyspepsia, in which there is a burningfeeling in the stomach and the mouth suddenlyfills with acid saliva

Waterston’s operation

ɒpəreiʃ(ə)n/ noun a surgical operation to treatFallot’s tetralogy, in which the right pulmonaryartery is joined to the ascending aorta [After DavidJames Waterston (1910–85), paediatric surgeon

in London, UK]

waterworks

as urinary system (informal)

Watson-Crick helix

noun a molecular model for DNA in which theorganic base pairs are linked by hydrogen bondswhich form the rungs of a ladder spiralling in theform of a helix

wean /win/ verb to make a baby stop feeding and take other liquid or solid food, or tomake a baby start to eat solid food after havingonly had liquids to drink 쑗 The baby was breast-

breast-fed for two months and then was gradually weaned onto the bottle.

webbing

an extra membrane of skin joining two structures

in the body together

urogram

of the urinary tract, or of a part of iturography

exami-nation of part of the urinary...

of the urethraurethro-

ure-thraurethrocele

formed in a weak part of the wall of the urethraurethrogram

photograph of the... unit of weight. 4. a quantity of adrug, enzyme, hormone or of blood, taken as astandard for measurement and producing a giveneffect 쑗 three units of blood 쑗 a unit of insulin