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General Medicine Terms

- L -

  • Labyrinth

  • Organ of balance located in the inner ear; consists of three semicircular canals and the vestibule.

  • Labyrinthine hydrops

  • Excessive fluid in the organ of balance (labyrinth) that can cause pressure or fullness in the ears, hearing loss, dizziness, and loss of balance.

  • Lactase

  • Enzyme in the small intestine needed to digest milk sugar (lactose).

  • Lactase deficiency

  • Lack of the lactase enzyme.

  • Lactate

  • An ester of lactic acid produced during non-respiratory glucose combustion. It may accumulate during some disease conditions, leading to lactate acidosis.

  • Lactate Dehydrogenase

  • An enzyme important to the process of glucose combustion in the body, and an important mechanism for cellular energy production.

  • Lactose

  • Sugar found in milk, which the body breaks down into galactose and glucose.

  • Laminectomy

  • Surgical procedure which includes removal of a portion of the lamina, to provide more room in the vertebral canal; usually performed to treat disc herniation or spinal canal stenosis.

  • Landau-Kleffner syndrome

  • A childhood disorder of unknown origin that can be identified by gradual or sudden loss of the ability to understand and use spoken language.

  • Language

  • System for communicating ideas and feelings using sounds, gestures, signs, or marks.

  • Laparoscope

  • Thin tube with a tiny video camera attached, used to look inside the body and see the surface of organs. (See also endoscope.)

  • Laparoscopic cholecystectomy

  • An operation to remove the gallbladder. The doctor inserts a laparoscope, and other surgical instruments, through small holes in the abdomen. The camera allows the doctor to see the gallbladder on a television screen. The doctor removes the gallbladder th

  • Laparoscopic lymph node sampling

  • Lymph nodes are removed through a viewing tube called a laparoscope, which is inserted through a small incision in the abdomen.

  • Laparoscopic lymphadenectomy

  • The removal of pelvic lymph nodes with a laparoscope through small incisions in the lower abdominal region.

  • Laparotomy

  • A surgical procedure that involves an incision into the abdominal cavity; often used when making a diagnosis when less invasive tests are difficult or not possible.

  • Large intestine

  • Part of the intestine that goes from the cecum to the rectum.

  • Laryngeal neoplasms

  • Abnormal growths in the larynx (voice box) that can be cancerous or noncancerous.

  • Laryngeal nodules

  • Noncancerous, callous-like growths on the inner parts of the vocal folds (vocal cords).

  • Laryngeal paralysis

  • Loss of function or feeling of one or both of the vocal folds.

  • Laryngectomy

  • Surgery to remove part or all of the larynx or voice box.

  • Larynx

  • Valve structure between the trachea (windpipe) and the pharynx (the upper throat); the primary organ of voice production.

  • Lavage

  • The process of washing (cleaning) of an organ such as the bowel or stomach.

  • Laxatives (CATHARTICS)

  • Medications to relieve long-term constipation.

  • Lens (CRYSTALLINE LENS)

  • The transparent structure inside the eye that focuses light rays onto the retina.

  • Lesion

  • An injury or wound.

  • Levodopa (L-DOPA)

  • An effective anti-Parkinson drug, that is changed into dopamine in the brain.

  • Lewy body

  • A pink-staining sphere, found in the bodies of dying cells, that is considered to be a marker for Parkinson's disease.

  • Library

  • An unordered collection of clones (i.e., cloned DNA from a particular organism), whose relationship to each other can be established by physical mapping. See Genomic Library.

  • Ligament

  • A flexible band of fibrous tissue that connects the bones and bind the joints together.

  • Ligase

  • An enzyme that functions in DNA repair.

  • Linkage

  • The greater association in inheritance of two or more nonallelic genes than is to be expected from independent assortment; genes are linked because they reside on the same chromosome.

  • Linkage analysis

  • A gene-hunting technique that traces patterns of heredity in large, high-risk families, in an attempt to locate a disease-causing gene mutation by identifying traits that are co-inherited with it.

  • Linkage map

  • A map of the relative positions of genetic loci on a chromosome, determined on the basis of how often the loci are inherited together. Distance is measured in centimorgans (cM).

  • Lipid

  • A fatty substance in the blood.

  • Lipoproteins

  • Transporters of fatty substances in the blood.

  • Lithotripsy, extracorporeal shock wave (ESWL)

  • Method of breaking up bile stones and gallstones with a specialized tool and shock waves.

  • Liver

  • Largest organ in the body; performs important functions such as making bile, changing food into energy, and cleaning alcohol and poisons from the blood.

  • Liver enzyme tests (LIVER FUNCTION TESTS)

  • Blood tests that indicate the functioning of the liver and biliary system.

  • Living will

  • A legal document which states your medical preferences for treatment and resuscitation in the event you can no longer speak for yourself.

  • Lobectomy

  • Removal of a lobe of the lung, for cancer, benign tumors, or infections.

  • Lobule

  • A subdivision of a lobe or a small lobe.

  • Local anesthesia

  • Anesthetic medicine injected into the site of the operation to temporarily numb that area.

  • Local treatment

  • Treatment that affects the tumor and the area close to it.

  • Localize

  • Determination of the original position (locus) of a gene or other marker on a chromosome.

  • Locus

  • The position on a chromosome of a gene or other chromosome marker; also, the DNA at that position. The use of locus is sometimes restricted to mean regions of DNA that are expressed. See gene expression.

  • Lod score

  • Logarithm of the odd score; a measure of the likelihood of two loci being within a measurable distance of each other.

  • Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP)

  • Procedure for treating cervical dysplasia in which a fine wire loop and low-energy current are used to remove abnormal tissue from the cervix.

  • Loose body

  • Name given to an object, located within a joint, that has become detached.

  • Low blood glucose

  • A condition that occurs in people with diabetes when their blood glucose levels are too low.

  • Low density lipoprotein (LDL)

  • A blood substance with large amounts of cholesterol.

  • Lower (GASTROINTESTINAL) GI series (BARIUM ENEMA X-RAY)

  • X-rays of the rectum, colon, and lower part of the small intestine.

  • Lower back (LUMBAR SPINE)

  • A complex structure that connects the upper body to the lower body; consists of vertebrae, disks, spinal cord, and nerves.

  • Lower esophageal sphincter

  • Muscle between the esophagus and stomach.

  • Lumen

  • The hollow area within a tube.

  • Lumpectomy

  • A surgical procedure in which only the tumor and a small area of surrounding tissue are removed.

  • Lung volume

  • The amount of air the lungs hold.

  • Luteinizing hormone (LH)

  • Hormone secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain that stimulates the growth and maturation of eggs in females and sperm in males.

  • Lyme Disease

  • A tick-transmitted inflammatory disorder that begins with a characteristic skin rash, and may be followed weeks to months later by neurologic, cardiac, or joint abnormalities.

  • Lymph (LIMF)

  • An almost colorless fluid that travels through the lymphatic system and carries cells that help fight infection and disease.

  • Lymph Node

  • Secondary immune organs distributed at discrete locations throughout the body. These organs play a central role in the activation and trafficking of immune lymphocytes in the body.

  • Lymph nodes

  • Small, bean-shaped organs located along the channels of the lymphatic system. Bacteria or cancer cells that enter the lymphatic system may be found in the nodes. Also called lymph glands.

  • Lymph nodes (LYMPH GLANDS)

  • Small glands clustered in the neck, armpits, abdomen, and groin that supply infection-fighting cells to the bloodstream and filter out bacteria and other antigens.

  • Lymphadenectomy

  • A procedure in which lymph nodes are taken from the body for purposes of diagnosing or staging cancer.

  • Lymphatic system

  • The tissues and organs, including the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes, that produce and store cells that fight infection and disease. This system also has channels that carry lymph.

  • Lymphatic system

  • Tissues and organs, including bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes, that produce, store, and carry white blood cells to fight infection and disease.

  • Lymphocyte

  • Any one of a group of white blood cells of crucial importance to the adaptive part of the body's immune system.

  • Lymphocyte

  • Small white blood cells that are uniform in appearance, but very diverse in function. Collectively, they are responsible for antibody production, direct cell-mediated killing of virus-infected cells and tumor cells, and for the regulation of virtually every other component of the mammalian immune system.

  • Lymphotrophic

  • Denoting a virus that tends to bind to and infects one or more subsets of lymphocytes.


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General Medicine Terms


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