| biopsy, nerve | <investigation, procedure, surgery> A procedure which involves the removal of a small specimen of nerve tissue for microscopic analysis. The ankle or wrist are the most common sites used for nerve biopsy. Conditions such as amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, metabolic polyneuropathy, leprosy, demyelination, alcoholic neuropathy, Charcot-Marie-tooth disease, peroneal nerve dysfunction, mononeuritis multiplex and other polyneuropathies may be detected using this study. (21 Mar 1998) |
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| bipennate muscle | <anatomy> A muscle with a central tendon toward which the fibres converge on either side like the barbs of a feather. Synonym: musculus bipennatus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bochdalek's muscle | An occasional thin band of muscular fibres passing between the root of the tongue and the triticeal cartilage. Synonym: Bochdalek's muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bock's nerve | Branch of pterygopalatine ganglion passing posteriorly through pharyngeal canal to supply postsynaptic parasympathetic fibres to mucus glands of nasopharynx. Synonym: ramus pharyngeus ganglii pterygopalatini, Bock's nerve. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bovero's muscle | <anatomy> The "sucking muscle," a labial muscle formed by sagittal fibres running from the skin to the mucous membrane. Synonym: Aeby's muscle, Bovero's muscle, compressor muscle of lips, Klein's muscle, Krause's muscle, mucocutaneous muscle, musculus cutaneomucosus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bowman's muscle | <anatomy> The smooth muscle of the ciliary body; it consists of circular fibres (Muller's muscle) and radiating fibres (meridional fibres, or Brucke's muscle); action, in contracting, its diameter is reduced (like a sphincter), reducing tensile (stretching) forces on lens, allowing it to thicken for near vision (accommodation). Synonym: musculus ciliaris, Bowman's muscle, ciliary ligament. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brachial muscle | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, lower two-thirds of anterior surface of humerus; insertion, coronoid process of ulna; action, flexes elbow; nerve supply, musculocutaneous, usually with a minor contribution from the radial. Synonym: musculus brachialis, brachial muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brachiocephalic muscle | In animals, a compound muscle passing from the brachium or humerus to the head and the dorsal cervical raphe; the clavicular insertion or clavicle subdivides the muscle. Synonym: brachiocephalic muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brachioradial muscle | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, lateral supracondylar ridge of humerus; insertion, front of base of styloid process of radius; action, flexes elbow and assists slightly in supination; nerve supply, (common) radial. Synonym: musculus brachioradialis, brachioradial muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| branch of auriculotemporal nerve to tympanic membrane | Sensory branch of the auriculotemporal nerve supplying the external surface of the tympanic membrane. Synonym: ramus membranae tympani nervi auriculotemporalis, nerve of tympanic membrane. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Braune's muscle | <anatomy> The medial part of the musculus levator ani (pubococcygeus muscle) that passes from the body of the pubis around the anus to form a muscular sling at the level of the anorectal junction; it contracts to increase the perineal flexure during a peristalsis to maintain faecal continence and relaxes to allow defecation. Synonym: musculus puborectalis, Braune's muscle, puborectal muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| broadest muscle of back | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, spinous processes of lower five or six thoracic and the lumbar vertebrae, median ridge of sacrum, and outer lip of iliac crest; insertion, with teres major into posterior lip of bicipital groove of humerus; action, adducts arm, rotates it medially, and extends it; nerve supply, thoracodorsal. Synonym: musculus latissimus dorsi, broadest muscle of back. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bronchoesophageal muscle | <anatomy> Muscular fascicles, arising from the wall of the left bronchus, which reinforce the musculature of the oesophagus. Synonym: musculus bronchoesophageus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Brucke's muscle | <anatomy> The part of the ciliary muscle formed by the meridional fibres. Synonym: Crampton's muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| buccal branches of facial nerve | <anatomy, nerve> Motor branches of the facial nerve distributed to buccina or muscle and other muscles of facial expression below orbit and above chin. Synonym: rami buccales nervi facialis. (05 Mar 2000) |