| diverticulitis, colonic | Inflammatory complications of colonic diverticulosis in which diverticula may undergo perforation with abscess formation. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| diverticulitis, treatment of acute | Antibiotics are usually needed. Oral antibiotics are sufficient when symptoms are mild. Liquid or low fibre foods are advised during acute diverticulitis attacks. In severe diverticulitis with high fever and pain, patients are hospitalised and given intravenous antibiotics. Surgery is needed for persistent bowel obstruction or abscesses not responding to antibiotics. (12 Dec 1998) |
| diverticuloma | Development of a granulomatous mass in the wall of the colon. Origin: diverticulum + G. -oma, tumour (05 Mar 2000) |
| diverticulopexy | A plastic operation to obliterate a diverticulum. Origin: diverticulum + G. Pexis, fixation (05 Mar 2000) |
| diverticulosis | <gastroenterology, surgery> A condition in which a person has small sacs or pouch in the walls of a canal or organ, such as the stomach or intestine. These sacs can become inflamed to cause diverticulitis and can be a risk factor for certain types of cancer. (16 Dec 1997) |
| diverticulosis, colonic | Presence of multiple herniations of the mucosa and submucosa of the colon through the circular muscle layer. (12 Dec 1998) |
| diverticulosis/diverticulitis and fibre | High fibre diets help delay the progression of diverticulosis and, at least, reduce the bouts of diverticulitis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| diverticulum | <anatomy, surgery> A small sac-like structure that sometimes forms in the walls of the intestines, diverticula can trap particles of food (especially small seeds and undigested grains) and become very inflammed and painful (this condition is called diverticulitis). (09 Oct 1997) |
| divertor | <radiobiology> Component of a toroidal fusion device that diverts charged particles on the outer edge of the plasma into a separate chamber where they strike a barrier and become neutralised. In a reactor, the divertor would incorporate a system for pumping out the neutralised particles as exhaust from the machine. A divertor, like a limiter, prevents the particles from striking and degrading the chamber walls and dislodging secondary particles that would cool and contaminate the plasma. Whereas a limiter is a material object used to limit the shape of the plasma, a divertor is a magnetic-field construction. The advantage of the divertor is that it allows the neutralisation region to be removed from the main plasma. See: limiter. (09 Oct 1997) |