Glossary of Medical Terms

Androgen Hormone

A hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex which affects blood pressure and saline balance.

Assisted Living Facility (ALF)

An out-of-home care option for elderly persons who continue to lead relatively active, healthy, and independent lives. Most ALFs feature apartment-style living and many services for the elderly.

Abdomen

Area between the chest and the hips that contains the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen

Abdominal Bracing

Technique of tensing the stomach muscles to support the spine.

Abdominal Hysterectomy

The uterus is removed through the abdomen via a surgical incision.

Abdominoplasty

A procedure that minimizes the abdominal area. In abdominoplasty, the surgeon makes a long incision from one side of the hipbone to the other. Excess fat and skin are surgically removed from the middle and lower abdomen and the muscles of the abdomen wall are tightened.

Abdominoscopy

A type of surgery using a laparoscope, which is inserted into one or more small incisions, to examine the abdominal cavity. (See also endoscopy, laparoscopy, or minimally invasive surgery.)

Ablation

Elimination or removal.

Abortion

Medical termination of a pregnancy before the fetus has developed enough to survive outside the uterus.

Abscess

A hole filled with pus that forms as a result of a local infection.

Absorption

The way nutrients from food move from the small intestine into the cells in the body.

Abutment teeth

The surrounding teeth of each side of the gap where teeth are missing.

Accessory Digestive Organs

Organs that help with digestion but are not part of the digestive tract. These organs include the tongue, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and glands in the mouth that make saliva.

Accessory Movement

Joint movements that cannot be performed voluntarily or in isolation by the patient.

Accommodation

The ability of the eye to focus.