| PDE | paroxysmal dyspnea on exertion; phosphodiester; progressive dialysis encephalopathy; pulsed Doppler ... |
|---|---|
| PDUF | pulsed Doppler ultrasonic flowmeter |
| PFG | peak flow gauge; pulsed-field gel electrophoresis |
| PFGE | pulsed field gel electrophoresis |
| PW | peristaltic wave; plantar wart; posterior wall [of the heart]; pressure wave; psychological warfare;... |
| laser coagulation | The coagulation of tissues using lasers. These lasers produce light in the visible green wavelength that is selectively absorbed by haemoglobin, and thus it is possible to seal bleeding blood vessels. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| laser-doppler flowmetry | A method of non-invasive, continuous measurement of microcirculation. The technique is based on the values of the doppler effect of low-power laser light scattered randomly by static structures and moving tissue particulates. (12 Dec 1998) |
| laser fusion | <radiobiology> Form of inertial confinement fusion where laser beams are used to compress and heat the fuel pellet. (09 Oct 1997) |
| laser interferometer | <radiobiology> An interferometer which uses a laser as a light source. Because of the monochromatic nature and high brightness of laser light, laser interferometers can operate with much longer beam paths and path differences than conventional interferometers. (09 Oct 1997) |
| laser iridotomy | Peripheral iridectomy as performed by laser.This is a refinement of the surgical technique devised in 1858 by von Graefe. In acute glaucoma the aqueous humor cannot flow freely around the lens and through the pupil to be absorbed in the angle of the anterior chamber. Laser peripheral iridectomy corrects this problem by producing a small hole in the iris to permit aqueous flow. The procedure takes only a few seconds and employs a laser attached to a slit lamp. (05 Mar 2000) |
| laser microscope | <instrument> A microscope in which a laser beam is focused on a microscopic field, causing it to vaporise; the emitted radiation is analyzed by means of a microspectrophotometer; at a low intensity the laser is employed as the light source in an interference microscope. (05 Mar 2000) |
| 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) |