Medications

EPR: Abbreviation for Electrophrenic respiration. Also known as diaphragm pacing. See: Diaphragm pacing.Last Editorial Review: 3/15/2003 Electrophrenic respiration: See: Diaphragm pacing.Last Editorial Review: 3/15/2003 Diaphragm pacing: A procedur...

Eponym - Medical

Eponym: Something named after someone. For example, a condition called Shiel's syndrome might be named after someone named Shiel who discovered it or described and clearly delineated it. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

EPO test - Medical

EPO test: A test of the hormone EPO ( erythropoietin) in blood. The EPO level can indicate bone marrow disorders, kidney disease, or EPO abuse. Testing EPO blood levels is of value if: Too little EPO might be responsible for too few red blood ...

EPO (erythropoietin) - Medical

EPO ( erythropoietin): A hormone produced by the kidney that promotes the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow. EPO is a glycoprotein (a protein with a sugar attached to it). Human EPO has a molecular weight of 34,000. The kidney ...

Epizootic - Medical

Epizootic: An epidemic outbreak of disease in an animal population, often with the implication that it may extend to humans. For example, Rift Valley fever (RVF) primarily affects livestock and can cause disease in a large number of domestic animals...

Epitope - Medical

Epitope: A single antigenic site on a protein against which an antibody reacts.Last Editorial Review: 5/15/2003 Protein: A large molecule composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific order determined by the base sequence of nucleotid...

Epithelium - Medical

Epithelium: The outside layer of cells that covers all the free, open surfaces of the body including the skin, and mucous membranes that communicate with the outside of the body. By contrast the endothelium is the layer of cells lining the closed ...

Epithelial carcinoma - Medical

Epithelial carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the cells that line an organ. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM Medical Author: Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD ...

Epithelial basement corneal dystrophy - Medical

Epithelial basement corneal dystrophy: A disorder in which the cornea (the normally clear front window of the eye) shows grayish fingerprint lines, geographic map-like lines, and dots (or microcysts) on examination with a slit-lamp that focuses a hi...

Epithelial - Medical

Epithelial: Relating to the epithelium, the outside layer of cells that covers all the free, open surfaces of the body including the skin, and mucous membranes that communicate with the outside of the body. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Epistemic - Medical

Epistemic: Cognitive. Pertaining to cognition, the process of knowing and, more precisely, the process of being aware, knowing, thinking, learning and judging. From the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and epistanai (to know or understand). Last Ed...

Epistaxis, treatment of - Medical

Epistaxis, treatment of: To stop epistaxis (a nosebleed), you should: 1. Pinch all the soft parts of the nose together between your thumb and index finger. 2. Press firmly toward the face - compressing the pinched parts of the nose against the bo...

Epistaxis - Medical

Epistaxis: Medical term for nosebleed. The nose is a part of the body that is very rich in blood vessels (vascular) and is situated in a vulnerable position on the face. As a result, any trauma to the face can cause bleeding which may be pro...

Epispadias - Medical

Epispadias: Congenital (at birth) malformation in which the opening of the urethra (from whence comes the urinary stream) is on the dorsum (topside) of the penis. Hypospadias is the corresponding malformation in which the opening of the urethra is...

Episiotomy - Medical

Episiotomy: A surgical procedure for widening the outlet of the birth canal to facilitate delivery of the baby and to avoid a jagged rip of the perineum (the area between the anus and the vulva, the opening to the vagina). During an episiotomy...

Episcleritis - Medical

Episcleritis: Inflammation of the episclera, a thin membrane that covers the sclera (the white of the eye). Episcleritis is typically benign, easily treated with topical antiinflammatory drops, and usually soon resolved. Last Editorial Revie...

Episclera - Medical

Episclera: A thin membrane that covers the sclera (the white of the eye). "Epi-" is a prefix from the Greek that means "on, upon, at, by, near, over, on top of, toward, against, among." Episclera = on top of the sclera. Last Editorial Revi...

Epiretinal membrane - Medical

Epiretinal membrane: See: Macular pucker. Last Editorial Review: 4/19/2003 Macular pucker: Scar tissue in the macula, the area of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. The scar can blur and distort vision and make straight lines appear w...

Epiphysis - Medical

Epiphysis: The growth area near the end of a bone. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Epiphenomenon - Medical

Epiphenomenon: 1. An additional symptom or condition that appears during the course of a disease. A doctor might ask if you have noticed any epiphenomena recently as a way of inquiring as to whether you have experienced additional symptoms or signs o...

Epinephrine - Medical

Epinephrine: A substance produced by the medulla (inside) of the adrenal gland. The name epinephrine was coined in 1898 by the American pharmacologist and physiologic chemist (biochemist) John Jacob Abel who isolated it from the adrenal gland whic...

Epilepsy, temporal lobe - Medical

Epilepsy, temporal lobe: See: Epilepsy, temporal-lobe.Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM Epilepsy, temporal-lobe: Epilepsy that is characterized by abnormal electrical activity in the temporal lobe of the brain. This activity does not cause...

Epilepsy, petit mal - Medical

Epilepsy, petit mal: See: Petit mal. Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM Petit mal: A form of epilepsy with very brief, unannounced lapses in consciousness. A petit mal seizure involves a brief loss of awareness, which can be accompanied by...

Epilepsy, partial - Medical

Epilepsy, partial: A seizure that affects only one part of the brain. Symptoms will depend on which part is affected: one part of the body, or multiple body parts confined to one side of the body, may start to twitch uncontrollably. Partial e...

Epilepsy, juvenile myoclonic - Medical

Epilepsy, juvenile myoclonic: A form of epilepsy that occurs between the ages of eight and 26, most commonly in the teenage years. It is characterized by jerking (myoclonic) movements of the arms and upper torso, without loss of consciousness...

Epilepsy, Jacksonian - Medical

Epilepsy, 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 transien...

Epilepsy, grand mal - Medical

Epilepsy, grand mal: See: Grand mal.Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM Grand mal: A form of epilepsy characterized by tonic-clonic seizures. involving two phases -- the tonic phase in which the body becomes rigid, and clonic phase in which ...

Epilepsy - Medical

Epilepsy (seizure disorder): When nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses at a rate of up to four times higher than normal, this causes a sort of electrical storm in the brain, known as a seizure. A pattern of repeated seizures is referr...

Epilation - Medical

Epilation: Removal of body hair, including the hair root, by means of electrical device, tweezer, or wax. Epilation may be performed by a dermatologist, but is more commonly done for cosmetic purposes by a facial technologist or esthetician. ...

Epiglottitis, acute - Medical

Epiglottitis, acute: A very rapidly progressive infection causing inflammation of the epiglottis (the flap that covers the trachea) and tissues around the epiglottis that may lead to abrupt blockage of the upper airway and death. The infection is u...