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Medical Dictionary Terms Beginning with S
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Second cranial nerve
Second cranial nerve: The optic nerve, the nerve that connects the eye to the brain and carries the impulses formed by the retina -- the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye, senses light and creates the impulses -- to the brain which interpremore detail info...
Second stage of labor
Second stage of labor: The part of labor from the full dilatation of the cervix until the baby is completely out of the birth canal. The second stage of labor is also called the stage of expulsion.more detail info...
Secondary amenorrhea
Secondary amenorrhea: The abnormal cessation of menstruation. Amenorrhea is conventionally divided into primary and secondary amenorrhea. With primary amenorrhea, menstruation never takes place. It fails to occur at puberty. With secondary amenomore detail info...
Secretary's knee
Secretary's knee: The patellofemoral syndrome (PFS), the commonest cause of chronic knee pain. PFS characteristically causes vague discomfort of the inner knee area, aggravated by activity (running, jumping, climbing or descending stairs) or bymore detail info...
Secretin
Secretin: Hormone made by glands in the small intestine that stimulates pancreatic secretion. The word &hormone& was coined by the English physiologists Wm. M. Bayliss and Ernest H. Starling in connection with their discovery of secretin, themore detail info...
Section (anatomic)
Section (anatomic): A slice of tissue. A biopsy obtained by surgery is usually sectionned (sliced). And all the §ions& under the microscope might, for example, reveal entirely benign cells with no hint of cancer.more detail info...
Section (obstetrical)
Section (obstetrical): Short for a Caesarian section. In surgery, the word §ion& refers to the division of tissue. Here, the division of tissue involves the abdominal wall of the mother and the wall of the uterus which are §ionnemore detail info...
Section, Caesarian
Section, Caesarian: Procedure in which an infant, rather than being born vaginally, is surgically removed from the uterus. As the name &Caesarian& suggests, this is not a new procedure. it was done in ancient civilizations upon the death of amore detail info...
Section, cross
Section, cross: A transverse cut through a structure. The opposite is a longitudinal section.more detail info...
Section, longitudinal
Section, longitudinal: A cut along the long axis of a structure.more detail info...
Section, lower segment Cesarian (LSCS)
Section, lower segment Cesarian (LSCS): A Cesarian section in which the surgical incision (cut) is made in the lower segment of the uterus.more detail info...
Sedative
Sedative: A drug that settles down, calms, and moderates excessive stimulation (nervousness) and excitement. The word &sedative& comes from the Latin &sedare& meaning to allay or calm. Potions have long been used to calm people downmore detail info...
Sedimentation rate
Sedimentation rate: A sedimentation rate, or &sed rate&, is a blood test that detects and monitors inflammation activity. It is measured by recording the rate at which red blood cells (RBCs) sediment in a tube over time. It increases (the RBCmore detail info...
Segawa’s dystonia
Segawa’s dystonia: An important variant of dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD). Typically, DRD begins in childhood or adolescence with progressive difficulty in walking and, in some cases, spasticity. In Segawa’s dystonia, the symptoms fluctuate dmore detail info...
Seizure
Seizure: A seizure is a sudden attack of epileptic convulsion. It is a result of involuntary electrical activity in the brain. It can be associated with uncontrolled motor (movement) or sensory system action. Accordingly, a patient suffering a seizuremore detail info...
Seizure, causes of
Seizure, causes of: Known causes of seizures include head injuries, brain tumors, lead poisoning, maldevelopment of the brain, genetic and infectious illnesses. But in fully half of the patients with seizures, no cause can be found.more detail info...
Seizure, febrile
Seizure, febrile: A convulsion that occurs in association with a rapid increase in body temperature. Febrile seizures are common in infants and young children and, fortunately, are usually of no lasting importance.more detail info...
Seizure, Jacksonian
Seizure, Jacksonian:A brief alteration in movement, sensation or nerve function caused by abnormal electrical activity in a localized area of the brain. Seizures of this type typically cause no change in awareness or alertness. They are transient, fleetimore detail info...
Selective Estrogen-Receptor Modulator (SERM)
Selective Estrogen-Receptor Modulator (SERM): A &designer estrogen& which possesses some, but not all, of the actions of estrogen. For example, raloxifene (trade name EVISTA) is classified as a SERM because it prevents bone loss (like estrogemore detail info...
Selenium
Selenium: An essential mineral that is a component of a key antioxidant enzyme, glutathione reductase, in tissue respiration. Deficiency of selenium causes Keshan disease, a fatal form of cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle) first observed in Kmore detail info...