| ASD | aldosterone secretion defect; Alzheimer senile dementia; antisiphon device; arthritis syphilitica de... |
|---|---|
| CTD | carpal tunnel decompression; chest tube drainage; congenital thymic dysplasia; connective tissue dis... |
| DCS | decompression sickness; dense canalicular system; diffuse cortical sclerosis; dorsal column stimulat... |
| DGS | decompression sickness; developmental Gerstmann syndrome; diabetic glomerulosclerosis; Di George seq... |
| IMDC | intramedullary metatarsal decompression |
| illness, acute | An illness with an abrupt onset and usually a short course. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| illness, chronic | An illness that has persisted for a long period of time. It is a continuing disease process. (12 Dec 1998) |
| environmental illness | A polysymptomatic condition believed by clinical ecologists to result from immune dysregulation induced by common foods, allergens, and chemicals, resulting in various physical and mental disorders. The medical community has remained largely skeptical of the existence of this "disease", given the plethora of symptoms attributed to environmental illness, the lack of reproducible laboratory abnormalities, and the use of unproven therapies to treat the condition. (12 Dec 1998) |
| functional illness | A physical disorder with no known or detectable organic basis to explain the symptoms. See: behaviour disorder, neurosis. Synonym: dynamic disease, functional disease, functional illness. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cardiac decompression | Incision into the pericardium or aspiration of fluid from pericardium to relieve pressure due to blood or other fluid in the pericardial sac. Synonym: pericardial decompression. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rapid decompression | Sudden severe expansion of gases due to a reduction in ambient pressure. Synonym: explosive decompression. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cerebral decompression | Removal of a piece of the cranium, usually in the subtemporal region, with incision of the dura, to relieve intracranial pressure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pericardial decompression | Incision into the pericardium or aspiration of fluid from pericardium to relieve pressure due to blood or other fluid in the pericardial sac. Synonym: pericardial decompression. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Heyns' abdominal decompression apparatus | A vacuum chamber enclosing the abdomen of the pregnant woman, creating pressure during the first stage of labour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spinal decompression | The removal of pressure upon the spinal cord as created by a tumour, cyst, haematoma, nucleus pulposus, abscess, or bone. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nerve decompression | Release of pressure on a nerve trunk by the surgical excision of constricting bands or widening of a bony canal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| suboccipital decompression | Decompression of the posterior fossa by occipital craniectomy and opening of the dura. (05 Mar 2000) |
| subtemporal decompression | Decompression of the brain by temporal craniectomy and opening of the dura over the inferolateral surface of the temporal lobe. (05 Mar 2000) |
| decompression | Decompression external to the body, most often the slow lessening of external pressure on the whole body (especially in caisson workers, deep sea divers, and persons who ascend to great heights) to prevent decompression sickness. It includes also sudden accidental decompression, but not surgical (local) decompression or decompression applied through body openings. (12 Dec 1998) |
| decompression chamber | <apparatus> A steel chamber that is used to apply oxygen under pressure to reverse the effects of the bends or to treat other forms of barotrauma. Synonym: hyperbaric chamber. (27 Sep 1997) |