| VATS | Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery, Video-assisted thoracic surgery |
|---|---|
| LASER | Light Amplication by Stimulated Emission of Radiation |
| ALP | acute leukemia protocol; acute lupus pericarditis; alkaline phosphatase; alveolar proteinosis; anter... |
| ALT | alanine aminotransferase; argon laser trabeculoplasty; avian laryngotracheitis |
| Ar Kr | argon-krypton [laser] |
| MALDI | Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization |
|---|---|
| MALDI-TOF | Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight |
| MALDI-TOF | Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry |
| ART | Assisted Reproduction Techniques |
| ART | Assisted Reproductive Techniques |
| laser surgery | A type of operation using the cutting powers of laser beams from various sources. The use of a laser either to vaporise surface lesions or to make bloodless cuts in tissue. It does not include the coagulation of tissue by laser (laser coagulation). (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| laser trabeculoplasty | An operation for glaucoma in which laser energy is applied to trabecular meshwork.a procedure in which a laser (usually argon) is used to create small openings in the trabecular network of the eye. This improves the flow of the aqueous humor and relieves pressure owed to open-angle glaucoma, although by what precise mechanism is not known. LTP has proven effective with only certain types of glaucoma (especially capsular and pigmentary glaucomas), and is sometimes used in conjunction with laser iridotomy. Investigations into laser treatments of open-angle glaucoma began in the early 1970s, but not until the late 1980s was LTP adopted as a standard treatment for the condition, with a 2-year success rate of over 70% (dropping to 50% after 5 years). LTP lessens chances of postoperative infection and haemorrhaging, and can be performed on an outpatient basis. LTP joins other laser techniques that have radically altered eye surgery since their advent. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lithotripsy, laser | Fragmentation of calculi, notably urinary or biliary, by laser. It is usually performed with an endoscopically guided pulsed tunable dye laser, a combination of a pulsed laser and a dye laser usually referred to as a pulsed dye laser. It is both safe and effective when extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy is infeasible or unsuccessful. (12 Dec 1998) |
| assisted cephalic delivery | Extraction of a foetus that presents by the head. (05 Mar 2000) |
| assisted circulation | Pumping that aids the natural activity of the heart. (12 Dec 1998) |
| assisted mechanical ventilation | <anaesthetics> The use of a mechanical device to fill the lungs with oxygenated air then allow time for passive exhalation. (27 Sep 1997) |
| assisted reproductive technology | Originally, a range of techniques for manipulating eggs and sperm in order to overcome infertility. Encompasses drug treatments to stimulate ovulation; surgical methods for removing eggs (e.g., laparoscopy and ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration) and for reimplanting embryos (e.g., zygot intrafallopian transfer (or ZIFT); in vitro and in vivo fertilization (e.g., artificial insemination and gamete intrafallopian transfer (or GIFT); ex utero and in utero foetal surgery; as well as laboratory regimes for freezing and screening sperm and embryos, and micromanipulating and cloning embryos. The field's first major success came in 1978 with the birth of "test-tube baby" Louise Brown, engineered by Steptoe, Edwards, et al., of England. As the technologies spread, they increasingly are being employed for purposes beyond infertility, i.e., to reduce the risk of, or avoid passing on, hereditary disease and to select for infant sex. Further uses that would aim at improving the "quality" of offspring have been widely discussed and raise profound legal and ethical questions. See: eugenics. (05 Mar 2000) |
| assisted respiration | Application of mechanically or manually generated positive pressure to gas(es) in or about the airway during inhalation as a means of augmenting movement of gases into the lungs. Synonym: assisted respiration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| assisted ventilation | Application of mechanically or manually generated positive pressure to gas(es) in or about the airway during inhalation as a means of augmenting movement of gases into the lungs. Synonym: assisted respiration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| radiographic image interpretation, computer-assisted | Computer systems or networks designed to provide radiographic interpretive information. (12 Dec 1998) |
| radiotherapy, computer-assisted | Computer systems or programs used in accurate computations for providing radiation dosage treatment to patients. (12 Dec 1998) |
| radiotherapy planning, computer-assisted | Computer-assisted mathematical calculations of beam angles, intensities of radiation, and duration of irradiation in radiotherapy. (12 Dec 1998) |
| video-assisted thoracic surgery | A less morbid alternative to "open" thoracotomy that employs cameras, optic systems, percutaneous stapling devices, and assorted endoscopic graspers, retractors, and forceps. Also called video thoracoscopic surgery, it can be selectively applied to various pulmonary, pleural, and pericardial lesions. (05 Mar 2000) |
| computer-assisted instruction | A self-learning technique, usually online, involving interaction of the student with programmed instructional materials. (12 Dec 1998) |
| signal processing, computer-assisted | Computer-assisted processing of electric, ultrasonic, or electronic signals to interpret function and activity. (12 Dec 1998) |