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Medical Dictionary Terms Beginning with L
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Laryngostasis
Laryngostasis: More commonly known as croup. An infection of the larynx, trachea, and the bronchial tubes, largely in children. Caused usually by viruses, less often by bacteria. Symptoms include a cough that sounds like a barking seal and a harsh cmore detail info...
Larynx
Larynx: The larynx is the portion of the breathing, or respiratory, tract containing the vocal cords which produce vocal sound. It is located between the pharynx and the trachea. The larynx, also called the voice box, is a 2-inch-long, tube-shapedmore detail info...
Laser
Laser: A powerful beam of light used in some types of surgery to cut or destroy tissue.more detail info...
Laser surgery, Yag
Laser surgery, Yag: The use of a laser to punch a hole in the iris to relieve increased pressure within the eye as, for example, from acute angle-closure glaucoma. Yag laser surgery is an office procedure.more detail info...
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK): A kind of laser eye surgery designed to change the shape of the cornea to eliminate (or reduce) the need for glasses and contact lenses in cases of severe myopia (nearsightedness). LASIK is an ambulmore detail info...
LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis)
LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis): A kind of laser eye surgery designed to change the shape of the cornea to eliminate (or reduce) the need for glasses and contact lenses in cases of severe myopia (nearsightedness). LASIK is an ambulamore detail info...
Lassa fever
Lassa fever: An acute viral infection found in the tropics, especially in West Africa, in countries such as Sierra Leone, Congo (formerly Zaire), Liberia and Nigeria. The disease was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died of it in the villamore detail info...
Lateral
Lateral: The side of the body or body part that is farther from the middle or center (median) of the body. Typically, lateral refers to the outer side of the body part, but it is also used to refer to the side of a body part. For example, when remore detail info...
Lateral X-ray
Lateral X-ray: An X-ray picture taken from the side.more detail info...
Laughing gas (nitrous oxide)
Laughing gas (nitrous oxide): A gas that can cause general anesthesia. Nitrous oxide is sometimes given in the company of other anesthetic agents but it is not used today as the only anesthetic agent because the concentration of nitrous oxide needed to prmore detail info...
Lavage
Lavage: Washing out. Gastric lavage is washing out the stomach, for example, to remove drugs or poisons.more detail info...
Law, Hardy-Weinberg
Law, Hardy-Weinberg: Basic concept in population genetics discovered independently in 1908 by the great English mathematician G(odfrey) H(arold) Hardy and Wilhelm Weinberg, a physician in Germany. The Hardy-Weinberg law is a cornerstone of clinicmore detail info...
Laxative
Laxative: Something that loosens the bowels. Used to combat constipation (and sometimes overused, producing diarrhea). The word ôlaxativeö comes from the Latin ôlaxareö meaning ôto open, widen, extend, release.ömore detail info...
Lazy eye
Lazy eye: An eye that diverges in gaze. More formally called strabismus. Can be esotropia (cross-eyed) or exotropia (wall-eyed).more detail info...
lb.
lb.: The abbreviation for pound, the measure of weight, lb. (plural: lb. or lbs.) stands for &libra& (Latin for pound).more detail info...
LDL (low-density lipoprotein)
LDL (low-density lipoprotein): Lipoproteins which are combinations of lipids (fats) and proteins are the form in which lipids are transported in the blood. The low-density lipoproteins transport cholesterol from the liver to the tissues of the bodmore detail info...
LDL cholesterol
LDL cholesterol: Lipoproteins which are combinations of lipids (fats) and proteins are the form in which lipids are transported in the blood. The low-density lipoproteins transport cholesterol from the liver to the tissues of the body. LDL cholemore detail info...
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning: An environment hazard (for example, from lead-containing paint, leaded gasoline,etc) capable of causing brain damage.more detail info...
Left heart
Left heart: The heart is composed functionally of two heartsùthe right heart and the left heart. The left heart consists of the left atrium which receives oxygenated blood from the lung and the left venticle which pumps it out to the body undermore detail info...
Left heart hypoplasia syndrome
Left heart hypoplasia syndrome: A form of congenital heart disease in which the whole left half of the heart (including the aorta , aortic valve, left ventricle and mitral valve) is underdeveloped (hypoplastic). Blood returning from the lungs hamore detail info...