Abdomen Flashcards
Aneurysm
Balloon-like swelling of the wall of an artery, vein, or heart; generally the result of a congenital defect in the wall or degenerative disease or infection (atherosclerosis or syphilis); dissecting aneurysm is longitudinal splitting of the arterial wall from hemorrhage
Anorexia
Loss of appetite
Ascites
Abnormal intraperitoneal accumulation of serous fluid
Ballottement
Palpation technique used in detecting or examining a floating object in the body
Borborygmi
Gurgling, splashing sound heard over the large intestine; caused by passage of flatus through the intestine
Cholecystitis
Inflammation of the gallbladder
Cirrhosis
Chronic disease of the liver characterized by fibrosis and alteration of normal liver architecture into structurally abnormal nodules
Colic
Spasm in any hollow tubular soft organ accompanied by pain
Constipation
Difficult defecation; infrequent defecation with passage of unduly hard dry fecal material; sluggish action of the bowels
Often defined as less than three bowel movements per week
Diarrhea
Frequent liquid or loose stools lasting less than four weeks in duration
Dyspepsia
Imperfect digestion
Not a disease in itself but symptomatic of other diseases or disorders
Characterized by vague abdominal discomfort, a sense of fullness after eating, eructation, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite
Dysphagia
Difficulty in swallowing
Fistula
Abnormal tube like passage from a normal cavity or tube to a free surface or to another cavity
May be congenital due to incomplete closure of parts or may result from abscesses, injuries, or inflammatory processes
Gastroesophageal reflux
Burning, gnawing pain in mid-epigastrium worsens with recumbency
Hematemesis
Vomiting of blood
Hematochezia
Passage of stool containing blood
Hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver resulting in diffuse or patchy infiltrates
Hernia
Protrusion of an organ or tissue through an opening in the muscle wall
Hydronephrosis
Dilation of the renal pelvis and calces due to obstruction
Icterus
Pigmentation of the tissues, membranes, and secretions of the eye with bile pigment
Intussusception
Prolapse or telescoping of one segment of intestine into another, causing intestinal obstruction
Irritable bowel syndrome
Disorder of intestinal motility
Jaundice
Condition characterized by yellowness of the skin, mucous membranes, and body fluids due to deposition of bile pigment resulting from excess bilirubin in the blood
Kehr sign
Abdominal pain radiating to the left shoulder, due to peritoneal irritation from blood or other irritants
Melena
Evacuations resembling tar, due to action of intestinal juices on free blood; tarry feces due to upper abdominal bleeding
Mesentery
Fan-shaped fold of peritoneum that holds the small intestine to the abdominal wall
Peristalsis
Wavelike motion by which the alimentary tract propels its contents
Pyelonephritis
Infection of the kidney
Pyloric stenosis
Narrowing of the pyloric orifice
May be due to excessive thickening of the circular muscle of the pylorus or hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the mucosa and submucosa
Pylorus
Distal section of the stomach
Resonance
Percussion sound obtained when the body part can vibrate freely
Reflux
Return or backward flow
Striae
Streaks or lines (with a silvery white or purple hue)
Result from weakening of the elastic tissue associated with pregnancy, weight gain, rapid growth periods, and high levels of corticosteroids
Tympany
Low pitched, resonant, drum-like sound heard while percussing the surface of a large, air containing body space
Volvulus
Twisting of the intestine resulting in obstruction
