| axis cylinder | An obsolete term for axon. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| axis deviation | Deflection of the electrical axis of the heart to the right or left of the normal. See: left axis deviation, right axis deviation, axis. Synonym: axis shift. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis fracture | <radiology> Incidence: 6% of cervical spine injuries, associated with atlas fractures in 8%, hyperflexion injury: odontoid fracture, type I avulsion of tip of odontoid (5-8%) difficult to detect, type II fracture through base of dens (54-67%) complication: nonunion, type III subdental injury (30-33%) prognosis: good, Differential diagnosis: os odontoideum, ossiculum terminale, hypoplasia/aplasia of dens, hyperextension injury: hangman's fracture (12 Dec 1998) |
| axis lentis | A line connecting the anterior and posterior poles of the lens of the eye. Synonym: axis lentis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis ligament of malleus | <anatomy> A ligament forming the axis about which the malleus rotates; it consists of two portions extending from the anterior and the posterior border, respectively, of the tympanic notch to the malleus. Synonym: axis ligament of malleus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis of lens | A line connecting the anterior and posterior poles of the lens of the eye. Synonym: axis lentis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis of symmetry | An axis through a particle (e.g., a virus) on such a plane that, if the particle is rotated on the axis, there are two or more positions at which the particle appears identical. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis, optic | <microscopy> The direction, or directions in an anisotropic crystal along which light is not doubly refracted. (05 Aug 1998) |
| axis, optical | <microscopy> Usually refers to the axis on which several principal lens axes may lie. It also refers to the axis of the eye which extends through the centre of the eye lens. The line formed by the coinciding principal axes of a series of optical elements comprising an optical system. It is the line passing through the centres of curvature of the optical surfaces. (05 Aug 1998) |
| axis opticus | The axis of the eye connecting the anterior and posterior poles; it usually diverges from the visual axis by five degrees or more. Synonym: axis opticus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis pelvis | A hypothetical curved line joining the centre point of each of the four planes of the pelvis, marking the centre of the pelvic cavity at every level. Synonym: axis pelvis, plane of pelvic canal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis, principal | <microscopy> A line conceived as passing through the centre of a lens to connect the centres of curvature of the lens surfaces. The focal points of a lens lie on the principal axis. (05 Aug 1998) |
| axis shift | Deflection of the electrical axis of the heart to the right or left of the normal. See: left axis deviation, right axis deviation, axis. Synonym: axis shift. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis traction | Rarely used procedure to apply traction upon the foetal head in the line of the birth canal by means of axis traction forceps. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axis-traction forceps | Obstetrical forceps provided with a second handle so attached that traction can be made in the line in which the head must move in the axis of the pelvis. (05 Mar 2000) |