| RAI | radioactive iodine; radioactive isotope; resident assessment instrument; resting ankle index; right ... |
|---|---|
| ESWL | Extracorporeal Shock-Wave Lithotripsy - Ix for Gall Stone ... |
| CW | cardiac work; case work; cell wall; chemical warfare; chemical weapon; chest wall; children's ward; ... |
| CWD | cell wall defect; continuous-wave Doppler |
| DMWP | distal mean wave pressure |
| beta wave | <neurology> Brain waves in the electroencephalogram which have a frequency of 18 to 30 per second. They are typical during periods of intense activity of the nervous system, and occur principally in the parietal and frontal regions. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| brain wave | Colloquialism for electroencephalogram. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brain wave complex | A specific combination of fast and slow electroencephalographic activity that recurs frequently enough to be identified as a discrete phenomenon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brain wave cycle | The complete upward and downward excursion of a single wave, complex, or impulse as seen on an electroencephalogram. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brain wave test | <investigation> A diagnostic test which measures the electrical activity of the brain (brain waves) using high sensitive recording equipment attached to the scalp by fine electrodes. Commonly employed in the evaluation of neurological disease (for example seizures, epilepsy, etc.). Acronym: EEG (13 Nov 1997) |
| cannon wave | An exaggerated A wave in the jugular pulse caused by right atrial contraction occurring after ventricular contraction has closed the tricuspid valve, as in ventricular premature beats and in complete A-V block. (05 Mar 2000) |
| radio wave | <physics> Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths of 300 millimetres or longer (even up to several kilometres). Radiation of this type is used to broadcast radio and television signals, and has frequencies up to thousands of megahertz (or one gigahertz). (09 Oct 1997) |
| receptors, atrial natriuretic factor | Cell surface proteins that bind atrial natriuretic factor with high affinity and trigger intracellular changes influencing the behaviour of cells. (12 Dec 1998) |
| recoil wave | The second rise in the tracing of a dicrotic pulse. Synonym: recoil wave. (05 Mar 2000) |
| paroxysmal atrial tachycardia | Bouts of rapid, regular heart beating originating in the atrium (upper chamber of the heart). Due to abnormalities in the av node relay station that lead to rapid firing of electrical impulses from the atrium which bypass the av node under certain conditions. These conditions include alcohol excess, stress, caffeine, overactive thyroid or excessive thyroid hormone intake, and certain drugs. Pat is an example of an arrhythmia where the abnormality is in the electrical system of the heart, while the heart muscle and valves may be normal. (12 Dec 1998) |
| medial atrial vein | A vein that drains deep portions of the parietal and occipital lobes; it runs in the medial wall of the lateral ventricle to empty into the internal cerebral vein or the great cerebral vein. Synonym: vena ventriculi lateralis medialis, medial atrial vein, medial vein of lateral ventricle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| V wave | <cardiology, physiology> A large pressure wave visible in recordings from either atrium or its incoming veins, normally produced by venous return but becoming very large when blood regurgitates through the A-V valve beyond the chamber from which the recording is made. (05 Mar 2000) |
| retrograde P wave | The P wave pattern in the electrocardiogram representing retrograde depolarisation of the atria, the impulse spreading from the A-V junction or the lower atrium upward. (05 Mar 2000) |
| percussion wave | The main positive wave of an arterial pulse tracing. (05 Mar 2000) |
| R wave | The first positive (upward) deflection of the QRS complex in the electrocardiogram; successive upward deflections within the same QRS complex are labelled R', R'', etc. (05 Mar 2000) |