| central tendon of diaphragm | A three-lobed fibrous sheet occupying the centre of the diaphragm. Synonym: centrum tendineum diaphragmatis, trefoil tendon. Central tendon of perineum, the fibromuscular mass between the anal canal and the urogenital diaphragm in the median plane; midline episiotomies extend into this structure. Synonym: centrum tendineum perinei, perineal body, Savage's perineal body. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| central terminal electrode | In electrocardiography, an electrode in which connections from the three limbs (right arm, left arm, and left leg) are joined and led to the electrocardiograph to form the indifferent electrode, theoretically at zero potential for the system. (05 Mar 2000) |
| central thalamic radiations | Radiations formed by fibres interconnecting, through the posterior limb of the internal capsule, the ventral lateral, ventral posterolateral and posteromedial, lateral dorsal, and lateral posterior nuclei and the precentral gyrus and parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex. (05 Mar 2000) |
| central transactional core | The reticular activating system of the brain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| central type neurofibromatosis | Type I neurofibromatosis. Incomplete neurofibromatosis, multiple neurofibromas with minimal manifestations, perhaps limited to cafe-au-lait spots; individuals with minimal lesions may have offspring with severe involvement. Synonym: abortive neurofibromatosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| central vein of retina | Formed by union of the retinal veins and accompanies the artery of the same name in the optic nerve. Synonym: vena centralis retinae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| central vein of suprarenal gland | The single draining vein of the gland; it receives a number of medullary veins; on the right side it empties directly into the inferior vena cava and on the left into the left renal vein. Synonym: vena centralis glandulae suprarenalis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| central veins of liver | The terminal branches of the hepatic veins that lie centrally in the hepatic lobules and receive blood from the liver sinusoids. Synonym: venae centrales hepatis, Krukenberg's veins. (05 Mar 2000) |
| central venous catheter | <equipment> Small, flexible plastic tube inserted into the large vein above the heart, through which drugs and blood products can be given and blood samples withdrawn painlessly. Synonym: central line, Hickman catheter. (12 Jan 1998) |
| central venous line | <equipment> Small, flexible plastic tube inserted into the large vein above the heart, through which drugs and blood products can be given and blood samples withdrawn painlessly. Synonym: central line, Hickman catheter. (12 Jan 1998) |
| central vision | Vision stimulated by an object imaged on the fovea centralis. Synonym: direct vision. (05 Mar 2000) |
| peripherally inserted central catheter | <equipment> A catheter inserted into an arm vein and used for periods of up to three months. This catheter does not need to be surgically implanted and can be inserted at home by a trained nurse. (09 Oct 1997) |
| muscle, central core disease of | One of the conditions that produces 'floppy baby' syndrome. Ccd causes hypotonia (inadequately toned muscles characterised by floppiness) in the newborn baby, slowly progressive muscle weakness, and muscle cramps after exercise. Muscle biopsy shows a key diagnostic finding (absent mitochondria in the centre of many type i muscle fibres). Ccd is inherited as a dominant trait. The ccd gene is on chromosome 19 (and involves ryanodine receptor-1). (12 Dec 1998) |
| muscle relaxants, central | A heterogeneous group of drugs used to produce muscle relaxation, excepting the neuromuscular blocking agents. They have their primary clinical and therapeutic uses in the treatment of muscle spasm and immobility associated with strains, sprains, and injuries of the back and, to a lesser degree, injuries to the neck. They have been used also for the treatment of a variety of clinical conditions that have in common only the presence of skeletal muscle hyperactivity, for example, the muscle spasms that can occur in multiple sclerosis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| myelinolysis, central pontine | A form of massive demyelination of the pons occurring in malnutrition and alcoholism. The remarkable unsystematic dissolution of the sheaths of medullated fibres is its most certain feature. The lesion varies from only a few millimeters in diameter to almost the entire pons. The basic pathology is the destruction of the medullated sheaths throughout the lesions with relative sparing of the axis cylinders and intactness of the nerve cells of the pontine nuclei. Pathologically it is easily differentiated from infarction and the inflammatory demyelinations of multiple sclerosis and postinfectious encephalomyelitis. There does not appear to be a genetic, sex, or age factor. It is often, however, associated with some other serious disease, particularly chronic alcoholism. (adams & victor, principles of neurology, 2d ed, p720) (12 Dec 1998) |