| pulmonary wedge pressure | The blood pressure as recorded after wedging a catheter in a small pulmonary artery; believed to reflect the pressure in the pulmonary capillaries. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| quartz wedge | <microscopy> A compensator consisting of a gradual wedge of quartz of such orientation and dimensions as to show at least several orders of retardation colours as illustrated by the Michel Levy scale of retardation colours and birefringence vs. Thickness of specimen. The Babinet compensator employs two opposing quartz wedges, calibrated in terms of retardation. (05 Aug 1998) |
| ovarian wedge resection | <gynaecology, procedure> The surgical removal of a portion of a polycystic ovary to induce ovulation. (05 Jan 1998) |
| acute compression triad | The rising venous pressure, falling arterial pressure, and decreased heart sounds of pericardial tamponade. Synonym: Beck's triad. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute spinal cord compression | <radiology> Signs and symptoms of cord compression show progression within 24 hours or less: pain, weakness, autonomic dysfunction, sensory loss, ataxia Diagnostic considerations: Primary or secondary malignancy of epidural space or vertebrae, Trauma, Inflammatory process, Osteoarthritis REF: MacNeil BJ, Abrams HL. Brigham and Women's Hospital Handbook of Diagnostic Imaging. Chapter 35. (12 Dec 1998) |
| adiabatic compression | <radiobiology> Compression (of a gas, plasma, etc.) not accompanied by gain or loss of heat from outside the system. For a plasma in a magnetic field, a compression slow enough that the magnetic moment and other adiabatic invariants of the plasma particles may be taken as constant. (09 Oct 1997) |
| cerebral compression | Pressure upon the intracranial tissues by an effusion of blood or cerebrospinal fluid, an abscess, a neoplasm, a depressed fracture of the skull, or an oedema of the brain. Synonym: compression of brain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cervical compression syndrome | <syndrome> Pain, paresthesias, and sometimes weakness in the area of the distribution of one or more cervical roots, due to pressure of a protruded cervical intervertebral disc. Synonym: cervical compression syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| compression | Increasing physical pressure on a (vital) structure. (16 Dec 1997) |
| compression anaesthesia | Loss of sensation produced by pressure applied to a nerve. Synonym: compression anaesthesia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| compression fracture | <orthopaedics> A spinal fracture, more specifically, of a vertebral body, that results from the axial compression of the vertebra. Compression fractions result in a loss of height of the vertebral body on X-ray. May occur in any region of the spine. Compression fractures occur commonly in post-menopausal females who subject to osteoporosis. (05 Jan 1998) |
| compression molding | The act of pressing or squeezing together to form a shape in a mold, the adaptation of a plastic material to the negative form of a split mold by pressure. See: injection molding. (05 Mar 2000) |
| compression neuropathy | A focal nerve lesion produced when sustained pressure is applied to a localised portion of the nerve, either from an external or internal source; the main source of injury is the pressure differential that exists between one portion of the nerve and another. (05 Mar 2000) |
| compression of brain | Pressure upon the intracranial tissues by an effusion of blood or cerebrospinal fluid, an abscess, a neoplasm, a depressed fracture of the skull, or an oedema of the brain. Synonym: compression of brain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| compression of tissue | The property of tissue that permits it to be moved from an initial or relaxed position or form. Synonym: compression of tissue. (05 Mar 2000) |