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click on the virtual library icon to view a 3D animation of select terms
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| Sciatica |  |
| Sciatica refers to pain usually caused by pressure on the large sciatic nerve that runs from the lower back down the back of each leg. This pain along the sciatic nerve can be caused by a herniated disc in the back compressing nerve roots, or “pinching” the nerve, a narrowing of spaces in the spine compressing nerve roots, or muscles in the pelvis compressing the sciatic nerve. |
| Septoplasty (straightening of the nasal septum) | |
| The nasal septum is a combination of cartilage and thin bone that separates the right nasal cavity from the left nasal cavity. If the nasal septum is deviated (crooked) to the point that it interferes with breathing, a septoplasty can be performed to correct the condition. The surgeon operates through the nares to straighten the septum. |
| Sickle Cell Disease | |
| Sickle cell conditions are inherited from parents in much the same way as blood type, hair color and texture, eye color and other physical traits. Sickle cell is a blood disease
in which some red blood cells become sickle-shaped (crescent shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels. When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disease.
Found in about one in 400 African Americans.
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| Skin cancer | |
| Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the outer layers of your skin. The skin has two main layers and several kinds of cells. There are several types of cancer that start in these cells. The most common are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer named after the cells they affect. Melanoma is a third more serious cancer, found in the cells that color the skin (melanocytes) |
| Sleep apnea | |
| Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition in which a partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway is caused when the muscles of the upper airway relax during sleep. It causes the person with OSA to partially awaken from deep stages of sleep until the airway clears, often many times in one night. |
| Stress Echocardiogram | |
A heart function test in which the heart is caused to beat faster while its function is evaluated with an ultrasound (echo) system using sound waves to create real-time images.
• A Stress Echo is a non-invasive test that combines two tests, a treadmill stress test (TST) and an echocardiogram (ECHO).
• An echocardiogram is done at rest prior to exercise and again at peak heart rate.
• The echocardiogram uses sound waves (ultrasound) to provide an image of his heart's internal structures, size and movement.
• Electrodes are placed on the chest to monitor the heart's rate and rhythm throughout the test.
• The cardiologist will have the patient walk on a treadmill, gradually increasing the speed and incline. The patient will exercise from a few up to 15 minutes depending upon his level of ability.
• The test will be stopped if the patient becomes too tired, has any symptoms such as chest pain.
• The cardiologist will be looking for changes in the EKG pattern and any symptoms that the patient may experience.
• At the peak of exercise, the treadmill will be stopped, and the patient will be instructed to lie down immediately on a bed so that a second echocardiogram can be taken to visualize the heart's motion with exercise.
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| Stress Test | |
A stress test, sometimes called a treadmill test or exercise test, is a heart function test that defines how well your heart handles work. As your body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen, so the heart must pump more blood; its function is evaluated using electrocardiography (EKG) and a blood pressure/pulse monitor. The test can show if the blood supply is reduced in the arteries that supply the heart.
The test procedure:
• hooked up to equipment to monitor the heart.
• walks slowly in place on a treadmill. Then the speed is increased for a faster pace and the treadmill is tilted to produce the effect of going up a small hill.
• may be asked to breathe into a tube for a couple of minutes.
• can stop the test at any time if needed.
• afterwards will sit or lie down to have their heart and blood pressure checked.
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| Systolic Blood Pressure | |
| The higher or first of the two numbers in your blood pressure – indicates the pressure in arteries when the heart beats (see blood pressure). |
| Testosterone | |
| A male steroid hormone that is a steroid ketone produced primarily by the testes or made synthetically, and is the main androgen responsible for inducing and maintaining male secondary sex characteristics. Measuring blood levels of the male sex hormone can be helpful in identifying certain conditions such as hypopituitarism, testicular failure and even testicular cancer. |
| Thyroid Scan | |
| A thyroid scan uses a radioactive tracer (iodine or technetium) and a special camera to measure how much tracer is absorbed from the bloodstream by the thyroid gland. During a thyroid scan, the camera takes pictures of the thyroid gland from three different angles. Thyroid scans help determine whether a patient has thyroid problems, including hyperthyroidism, cancer, or other growths, it can also show the size, shape, and position of the thyroid gland. |
| Thyroid Stimulating Hormone | |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced in the pituitary gland (a small gland at the base of the brain) and serves to stimulate the production of thyroid hormones. The two most important hormones are thyroxin or T4 and T3, which control your metabolism, temperature, cholesterol levels, growth, and development. |
| Tonsillectomy / adenoidectomy | |
| The tonsils (lymph nodes) occupy the back of the mouth and are thought to produce antibodies that fight infections. Adenoids are also tonsils but they are higher up, in the back of the nose. Tonsillectomy/ adenoidectomy is advisable when tonsillitis attacks are so frequent or severe that they affect a child's general health, interfere with school, hearing, breathing, or cause frequent throat and ear infections. This is one of the most common types of surgery performed on children in the United States. |
| Tubal Ligation | |
| A surgical procedure that involves cutting and sealing each of the uterine, or fallopian, tubes known also as "tying the tubes”. The uterine tubes carry an egg from the ovary to the uterus each month. The result of tubal ligation prevents the egg from traveling down the tube for fertilization. The procedure is performed with a laparoscope through two small incisions. The patient is able to return home a few hours after the procedure. |
| U.S. Preventive Medicine™ | |
| The parent company of Centers for Preventive Medicine being organized in communities throughout the country. |
| Ultrasound | |
Ultrasound imaging, also called ultrasound scanning or sonography is a non-invasive imaging system that uses reflected sound wave echoes which it records and displays as a real-time visual images of internal organs. Because ultrasound images are captured in real time, they can show movement of internal tissues and organs and enable physicians to see blood flow and heart valve functions. This can help to diagnose a variety of heart conditions and to assess damage after a heart attack or other illness.
Obstetric ultrasound refers to the specialized use of sound waves to visualize and thus determine the condition of a pregnant woman and her embryo or fetus.
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| Uric Acid | |
| Uric acid is the final oxidation product of purine (amino acid) metabolism in the human body and is found in small amounts in urine. The pain and swelling of gout are caused by uric acid crystals that form in the joint. Uric acid is dissolved in the blood and is excreted through the kidneys into the urine. In people with gout, the uric acid level increases and uric acid crystals are deposited in joints and other tissues. These needle-shaped crystals trigger an immune response that produces intense local inflammation with severe pain, tenderness and swelling. |
| Urinalysis | |
| Urinalysis is a physical and/or chemical examination of the urine. It consist of a battery of chemical and microscopic tests to screen for urinary tract infections, like glucose and ketones (indicators of diabetes), leukocytes (infection), bilirubin (liver disease), and diseases of other organs that result in the appearance of abnormal metabolites (break-down products) in the urine. |
| Valvuoplasty | |
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| Walking Pneumonia | |
| Walking pneumonia refers to pneumonia that seems mild enough that you may continue to work and engage in daily activity; walking pneumonia is usually accompanied by a general malaise, fever and, often, a persistent cough.
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