Term | Definition |
---|---|
Cardiomyopathy |
disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should. |
Cataract |
clouding of the lens of the eye. |
CBC and differential |
determination of the quantity of each type of blood cell in a given sample of blood. Blood differential test measures the percentage of each type of white blood cell. |
Cellulitis |
inflammation or infection of the skin causing redness, swelling and tenderness |
Cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) |
baby's head or body is too large to fit through the mother’s pelvis. |
Cerebral Palsy |
group of chronic neurological symptoms causing impaired control of movement, diagnosed usually before age 3. |
CGH (Micro-Array) |
comparative genomic hybridization is a high resolution genetic blood test using an array containing many DNA samples to determine the expression levels of hundreds or thousands of genes within a cell. This technology has most commonly been used to detect chromosomal abnormalities. |
Chorea |
abnormal involuntary movement disorder, one of a group of neurological disorders called dyskinesias. |
Chronic bronchitis |
inflammation of the bronchial tubes resulting in excessive secretions of mucus into the tubes, leading to tissue swelling that can narrow or close off bronchial tubes. |
Chronic constipation |
infrequent bowel movements or straining and difficulty passing stools. |
Chronic diarrhea |
one or more loose stools per day for approximately four consecutive weeks. |
Chylous reflux |
swelling and skin lesions, usually of the lower limbs of the body. |
Cleft lip |
one or two vertical fissures (clefts) in the upper lip; can be on one side only (unilateral) or on both sides (bilateral). |
Cleft palate |
opening in the roof of the mouth (the palate) |
Clonic seizures |
seizures defined by rhythmic jerking movements of the arms and legs, sometimes on both sides of the body. |
Coarctation of the aorta |
narrowing of the aorta, the large blood vessel that branches off your heart and delivers oxygen-rich blood to your body. |
Colonoscopy |
internal examination of the colon (large intestine) and rectum, using an instrument called a colonoscope. Typically requires sedation |
Color blindness (color deficiency) |
Difficulty discriminating between colors, typically red and green. |
Commando Crawl |
crawl using only the arms |
Complement screening |
blood test that measures the quantity or activity of complement proteins in the blood. |
Complex partial seizures |
type of partial seizure associated with disease of the temporal lobe and characterized by varying degrees of impairment of consciousness and automatisms, for which the patient is later amnestic. |
Compression garments/bandages |
panty hose and other clothes that compress the limbs or torso. |
Compression Pump |
massaging sleeve used to decrease swelling in the arms or legs caused by certain conditions, such as lymphedema. |
Computed tomography (CT) |
computerized x-ray to make 3D images of inside the body. |
Conduct disorder |
a behavioral and emotional disorder of childhood and adolescence. Children with conduct disorder act inappropriately, infringe on the rights of others, and violate the behavioral expectations of others. |
Congenital abnormality |
body defect that exists at birth. |
Congenital heart disease |
heart defect that exists at birth. |
Corpus callosotomy |
surgery to cut the nerve fibers that run between the two halves of the brain. Usually done to manage severe epilepsy. |
Cortical Vision Impairment |
vision loss due to brain damage, not eye problems. |
CPAP |
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. CPAP is air pressure applied with a mask to keep the airways open, usually to aid sleep. |
CT Scan |
computerized imaging technique that uses X-rays to create a 3-dimentional image of the body. Often used to look at the head, chest, abdomen (stomach and intestines), or bones. |
Cyanosis |
blueish discoloration of the skin due to poor circulation. Often seen on the hands, feet and around the mouth. |
Cyclic Vomiting |
sudden repeated attacks of severe vomiting that can last from hours to days |
Cysts/blisters |
internal round, soft, fluid-filled pockets that either be close to skin or inside organs (body parts) like brain and kidneys. |
Debulking/ radical surgical procedures |
surgical procedure used to reduce the amount of abnormal tissue but not necessarily completely remove it. Often used when a malignant tumor cannot be completely removed because of its location. |
Deep Tendon Reflexes |
involuntary jerks produced when certain spots on the limbs are tapped with a rubber hammer |
Deep-seated infections including septice |
serious infection involving the inside of the body. Can affect the blood (septicemia) or specific organs (like the liver, kidneys, etc). |
Dehydration |
significant loss of fluid (can result from diarrhea or vomiting) |
Delayed Myelination |
sheath that covers the nerve fibers which did not form at the usual stage of development |
Dental antibiotic prophylaxis |
routine use of antibiotics before a dental procedure. Often used for people who have artificial materials, implants or prosthetic devices in their body (hip replacement, heart valves, etc) |
Depth perception problems |
difficulty using both eyes together to judge depths or distances. Often due to strabismus, lazy eye or an injured eye. |
Diabetes insipidus (vasopressin deficien |
condition where the kidneys are not able to conserve water and there is excess urination. it is often due to an abnormality or lack of a hormone called vasopressin. |
Diet controlled |
use of nutrition and food to control disease. Often used to describe the ability to control blood sugar (diabetes) by eating the proper low-sugar foods or reducing salt intake to lower blood pressure. |
Dilated Renal Pelvis |
outlet of the kidney is enlarged where urine is passed into the ureter |
Distichiasis syndrome |
abnormal growth of eyelashes which can often rub on the inside of the eye. May occur alone or with other eyelid problems. |
Dolicocephaly |
a long, narrow head |
Doppler/Duplex studies |
ultrasound that measures blood flow and pressure in blood vessels. |
Downslanting Palpebral Fissures |
eye opening appears slanted downwards from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner of the eye |
Drainage of ascitic fluid |
removal of excess fluid in the abdomen (stomach) by use of a large needle and syringe. |
DTaP vaccine |
3 vaccines combined into one injection. protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. It's given as a series of 5 shots over a number of years. |