| OBF | organ blood flow |
|---|---|
| OC | obstetrical conjugate; occlusocervical; office call; on call; only child; optic chiasma; oral contra... |
| OPO | Organ Procurement Organization |
| OS | left eye [Lat. oculus sinister]; occipitosacral; occupational safety; office surgery; Omenn syndrome... |
| OSF | organ system failure; osteoclast-stimulating factor; outer spiral fiber; overgrowth stimulating fact... |
| end organ | The special structure containing the terminal of a nerve fibre in peripheral tissue such as muscle, tissue, skin, mucous membrane, or glands. See: ending. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| Jacobson's organ | A specialised part of the olfactory system located anteriorly in the nasal cavity within the nasal septum. Chemosensitive cells of the vomeronasal organ project via the vomeronasal nerve to the accessory olfactory bulb. The primary function of this organ appears to be in sensing pheromones which regulate reproductive and other social behaviours. While the structure has been thought absent in higher primate adults, data now suggests it may be present in adult humans. (12 Dec 1998) |
| floating organ | An organ with loose attachments, permitting its displacement. Synonym: floating organ, ptotic organ. (05 Mar 2000) |
| flower-spray organ of Ruffini | One of the two types of sensory nerve ending associated with the neuromuscular spindle (the other being the annulospiral ending); in this type, the fibre branches spread out upon the surface of the intrafusal fibres like a spray of flowers. Synonym: flower-spray organ of Ruffini. (05 Mar 2000) |
| foetal organ maturity | <embryology> Functional competence of specific foetal organs or body systems. In humans, it is usually assessed by analysis of amniotic fluid, as in the assessment of foetal lung maturity by analysis for components of pulmonary surfactant. (08 Mar 2000) |
| lateral line sense organ | A structure in fish consisting of a long groove or canal extending along each side of the trunk and tail and branching in the head region; the groove or tube is lined with neuroepithelial cells, some of which are in groups known as neuromasts; its function appears to be the detection of vibrations of low frequency. Synonym: neuromast organ. (05 Mar 2000) |
| air cells of auditory tube | Occasional small air cells in the inferior wall of the auditory tube, near the tympanic orifice, communicating with the tympanic cavity. Synonym: cellulae pneumaticae tubae auditivae, air cells of auditory tube. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auditory | <otolaryngology> Pertaining to the sense of hearing. Origin: L. Auditorius (18 Nov 1997) |
| auditory agnosia | The inability to recognise sounds, words, or music; caused by a lesion of the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auditory alternans | Alternation in the intensity of heart sounds or murmurs in the presence of a regular cardiac rhythm as a result of alternation of the heart. Synonym: auditory alternans. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auditory aphasia | An impairment in comprehension of the auditory forms of language and communication, including the ability to write from dictation in the presence of normal hearing. Spontaneous speech, reading, and writing are not affected. Synonym: acoustic aphasia, word deafness. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auditory area | Area of the temporal lobe concerned with hearing. (12 Dec 1998) |
| auditory brainstem response audiometry | An electrophysiologic measure of auditory function utilizing responses produced by the auditory nerve and the brainstem to repetitive acoustic stimuli. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auditory canal | The passage leading inward through the tympanic portion of the temporal bone, from the auricle to the tympanic membrane; it consists of a bony (inner) portion and a fibrocartilaginous (outer) portion, the cartilaginous external acoustic meatus. Synonym: meatus acusticus externus, acoustic meatus, antrum auris, auditory canal, external auditory meatus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auditory capsule | The cartilage that, in the embryo, surrounds the developing auditory vesicle and develops into the bony labyrinth of the inner ear. (05 Mar 2000) |