Medications

Periostitis: Inflammation of the periosteum, a dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps (invests) all bone, except the bone of articulating surfaces in joints which are covered by synovial membranes. The word ...

Periosteum - Medical

Periosteum: The periosteum is a dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps (invests) all bone, except that of the articulating surfaces in joints which are covered by a synovial membrane. "Peri-" is a prefix borro...

Periosteoma - Medical

Periosteoma: A benign tumor arising from the periosteum, the dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps (invests) all bone (except the articular surfaces of bone in joints which are covered by synovial membranes...

Periosteal - Medical

Periosteal: Pertaining to the periosteum, a dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps (invests) all bone, except the bone of articulating surfaces in joints which are covered by synovial membranes. Peri- is a p...

Perioperative - Medical

Perioperative: Literally, around (the time of) surgery. More specifically, the period of time extending from when the patient goes into the hospital, clinic, or doctor's office for surgery until the time the patient is discharged home. Last Editor...

Perionychium - Medical

Perionychium: The tissue surrounding the nail, whether it be a fingernail or a toenail, including the tissue bordering the root and sides of the nail. The word is composed of "peri-" meaning around or surrounding + the Greek word "onyx" for nail = a...

Perionychia - Medical

Perionychia: An inflammation of the folds of tissue surrounding the nail due to infection. The infection may be bacterial (most commonly, staph or strep) or to fungal. "Perionychia" is composed of "peri-" meaning around or surrounding + the Greek w...

Periodontitis - Medical

Periodontitis: Gum disease. The word "periodontitis" literally means "inflammation around the tooth." Periodontitis and all periodontal diseases are bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold the tee...

Periodontics - Medical

Periodontics: Periodontics is the branch of dentistry concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth. Periodontists are also expert in the placement and maintenance of de...

Periodontal disease - Medical

Periodontal disease: A bacterial infection that destroys the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold the teeth in the mouth. Left untreated, these diseases can lead to tooth loss. The main cause of periodontal disease is bacterial pla...

Periodontal - Medical

Periodontal: The word "periodontal" literally means "around the tooth." Periodontal diseases are bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold the teeth in the mouth. Left untreated, these diseases can lead to ...

Periodic fever - Medical

Periodic fever: Recurrences of fever that last from a few days to a few weeks and are separated by symptom-free intervals of varying duration. This pattern of fever can be caused by recurrent infection, malignancy or noninfectious inflammatory diso...

Periodic breathing - Medical

Periodic breathing: Clusters of breaths separated by intervals of apnea (no breathing) or near-apnea. As opposed to normal breathing which is usually regular. Periodic breathing was originally thought to arise from serious neurologic or cardiovascul...

Periodic abstinence - Medical

Periodic abstinence: Also known as fertility awareness, natural family planning, and the rhythm method, this approach entails not having sexual intercourse on the days of a woman's menstrual cycle when she could become pregnant or using a barrier met...

Period, incubation - Medical

Period, incubation: In medicine, the time from the moment of exposure to an infectious agent until signs and symptoms of the disease appear. For example, the incubation period of chickenpox is 14-16 days. In biology, the incubation period is th...

Period, gestation - Medical

Period, gestation: The period of development of the young from the time of conception until birth. For humans the full gestation period is normally 9 months. The word "gestation" comes from the Latin "gestare" meaning "to carry or to bear." Last E...

Perineum - Medical

Perineum: The area between the anus and the scrotum in the male and between the anus and the vulva (the labial opening to the vagina) in the female. An episiotomy is a surgical procedure to widen the outlet of the birth canal to facilitate deliver...

Perineal prostatectomy - Medical

Perineal prostatectomy: An operation to remove the prostate gland through an incision made between the scrotum and the anus. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM Prostate gland: A gland within the male reproductive system that is ...

Perineal - Medical

Perineal: Of or relating to the perineum.Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Perinatology - Medical

Perinatology: A subspecialty of obstetrics concerned with the care of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications. Since the perinatal period, depending on the definition, starts at the 20th to 28th week of gestation ...

Perinatologist - Medical

Perinatologist: An obstetrical subspecialist concerned with the care of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications. Since the perinatal period, depending on the definition, starts at the 20th to 28th week of gestatio...

Perinatal transmission - Medical

Perinatal transmission: Transmission of a disease-causing agent (a pathogen) from mother to baby during the perinatal period, the period immediately before and after birth. The perinatal period is defined in diverse ways. Depending on the defini...

Perinatal - Medical

Perinatal: Pertaining to the period immediately before and after birth. The perinatal period is defined in diverse ways. Depending on the definition, it starts at the 20th to 28th week of gestation and ends 1 to 4 weeks after birth. The word...

Perimenopause - Medical

Perimenopause: The time in a woman's life when physiological changes occur that begin the transition to menopause. Menopause is the time when there have been no menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months. A woman can usually tell if she is e...

Perilingual - Medical

Perilingual: During the development of speech and language. "The age of onset continues to have important implications for cochlear implantation, depending on whether the hearing impairment occurred before (prelingual), during (perilingual), or after...

Perichondroma - Medical

Perichondroma: A tumor arising from the perichondrium, the dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps (invests) all cartilage (except the articular surfaces of the cartilage in joints which are covered by synovi...

Perichondrium - Medical

Perichondrium: A dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps (invests) all cartilage, except the cartilage in joints which is covered by a synovial membrane. Peri- is a prefix borrowed from the Greek meaning "aro...

Perichondritis - Medical

Perichondritis: Inflammation of the perichondrium, a dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps all cartilage, except the cartilage in joints which is covered by a synovial membrane. The word "perichondritis" com...

Perichondrial - Medical

Perichondrial: To do with the perichondrium, a dense membrane composed of fibrous connective tissue that closely wraps all cartilage, except the cartilage in joints which is covered by a synovial membrane. Peri- is a prefix borrowed from th...

Pericentric chromosome inversion - Medical

Pericentric chromosome inversion: A basic type of chromosome rearrangement in which a segment that includes the centromere (and so is pericentric) has been snipped out of a chromosome, turned through 180 degrees (inverted), and inserted back ...