| PAL | pathology laboratory; peptidyl-alpha-hydroxyglycine alpha-amidating lysine phase alteration plane; p... |
|---|---|
| TOA | total quality assessment; tubo-ovarian abscess |
| AB | abdominal; abnormal; abortion; Ace bandage; active bilaterally; aid to the blind; alcian blue; alert... |
| ABD | abdomen; aged, blind, and disabled; aggressive behavioral disturbance; average body dose |
| ASB | American Society of Bacteriologists; anencephaly-spina bifida [syndrome]; anesthesia standby; Anxiet... |
| PTA | Peritonsillar Abscess |
|---|---|
| PLA | Pyogenic liver abscess |
| SEA | Spinal epidural abscess |
| SPA | Subperiosteal abscess |
| Mariotte's blind spot | The portion of the optic nerve seen in the fundus with the ophthalmoscope. It is formed by the meeting of all the retinal ganglion cell axons as they enter the optic nerve. Because the retina at the optic disk has no photoreceptors there is a corresponding blind spot in the visual field. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| vestibular blind sac | <anatomy> The lower extremity of the cochlear duct, occupying the cochlear recess in the vestibule. Synonym: caecum vestibulare, vestibular blind sac. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cupular blind sac | The upper blind extremity of the cochlear duct. Synonym: caecum cupulare, cupular blind sac, lagena. (05 Mar 2000) |
| prospective, randomised, double-blind clinical trial | <statistics> A clinical trial in which the method for analysing data has been specified in the protocol before the study has begun (prospective), the patients have been randomly assigned to receive either the study drug or alternative treatment, and in which neither the patient nor the physician conducting the study know which treatment is being given to the patient. (13 Nov 1997) |
| single-blind method | A method in which either the observer(s) or the subject(s) is kept ignorant of the group to which the subjects are assigned. (12 Dec 1998) |
| double-blind | <statistics> A kind of clinical study in which neither the participants nor the person administering treatment know which treatment any particular subject is receiving. Usually the comparison is between an experimental drug and a placebo or standard comparison treatment. This method is believed to achieve the most accuracy because neither the doctor nor the patient can affect the observed results with their psychological bias. (10 Oct 1997) |
| double-blind experiment | <statistics> An experiment conducted with neither experimenter nor subjects knowing which experiment is the control; prevents bias in recording results. See: double-masked experiment. (05 Mar 2000) |
| double-blind method | <statistics> A method of studying a drug or procedure in which both the subjects and investigators are kept unaware of who is actually getting which specific treatment. (12 Dec 1998) |
| double-blind study | A study in which neither the experimenter nor any other assessor of the results, including patients, know which group is subject to which procedure, thus helping assure that the biases or expectations of either will not influence the results. (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) |