| PAFD | percutaneous abscess and fluid drainage; pulmonary artery filling defect |
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| PAL | pathology laboratory; peptidyl-alpha-hydroxyglycine alpha-amidating lysine phase alteration plane; p... |
| TOA | total quality assessment; tubo-ovarian abscess |
| Douglas' line | A crescentic line, not always clearly defined, which marks the lower limit of the posterior layer of the sheath of the rectus abdominis muscle. Synonym: linea arcuata vaginae musculi recti abdominis, Douglas' line, linea saemicircularis, saemicircular line. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| Douglas mechanism | Mechanism of spontaneous evolution in transverse lie; extreme lateral flexion of the vertebral column with birth of the lateral aspect of thorax before the buttocks. (05 Mar 2000) |
| douglas' pouch | A sac or recess formed by a fold of the peritoneum. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Douglas' spontaneous evolution | A mechanism whereby molding of the foetus and impaction of the shoulder and prolapsed arm occurs in transverse lie, allowing vaginal delivery with the lateral aspect of the thorax following the prolapsed shoulder. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Torre, Douglas | <person> U.S. Dermatologist, *1919. See: Torre's syndrome, Muir-Torre syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| abdominal abscess | <surgery> A localised pus-forming (suppurative) bacterial infection that occurs within the abdominal cavity as the result of a perforated viscus or post operative complication. Treatment requires either percutaneous or open surgical drainage. (27 Sep 1997) |
| abscess | <microbiology, surgery> A localised collection of pus caused by suppuration buried in tissues, organs or confined spaces. Usually due to an infective process. Origin: L. Abscessus, from ab = away, cedere = to go (18 Nov 1997) |
| abscess, peritonsillar | A persistent collection of pus behind the tonsil. (12 Dec 1998) |
| abscess scan | <investigation> This is a nuclear scan that utilises radioactively tagged white blood cells. The patients white blood cells (taken from a small tube of blood) are tagged with radioactive indium. Later, the cells are then reinjected into the bloodstream. The coarse of the white blood cells can then be mapped using a gamma camera (radiation detecting device). The net result is a picture that shows the location of the radioactive white blood cells. The location of the white cells can indicated the presence of infection or inflammation. This test is useful in detecting a hidden source of bacterial infection, such as an abscess. (11 Mar 1998) |
| abscess, skin | Medical term for a common boil. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acute abscess | A recently formed abscess with little or no fibrosis in the wall of the cavity. Synonym: hot abscess. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alveolar abscess | A pocket of pus adjacent to or within (apical abscess) the tooth's root caused by plaque and calculus invasion. Symptoms include tooth pain and tenderness that may be accompanied by facial swelling and a fever. Treatment includes antibiotics and a thorough cleansing of the infected site by a dentist. See: apical abscess. (27 Sep 1997) |
| amoebic abscess | <gastroenterology> An area of abscess formation (liquefaction necrosis) in the liver due to infection of the organ with amoebae. See: amoebiasis. (05 Feb 1998) |
| anorectal abscess | <surgery> An abscess that forms adjacent to the anal opening. Symptoms include a tender swelling adjacent to the anus and pain on defecation. (27 Sep 1997) |
| apical abscess | <dentistry> A dental abscess that occurs at the end of a root, caused by tooth decay which invades the pulp chamber of the tooth. Involvement of the pulp chamber can lead to destruction of the nerve and blood vessels which supply the tooth. These infections must be treated by root canal therapy (endodontics) or tooth extraction. (27 Sep 1997) |