Kidney Stones Glossary of Terms

1. Kidney Stone Slideshow Pictures

Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Abscess: A local accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. The following are some example...

Acidosis: Too much acid in the body, a distinctly abnormal condition resulting from the ac...

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

Anatomy: The study of human or animal form, by observation or examination of the living be...

Aneurysm: A localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, a vein, or the heart. At the poi...

Anti-emetic: See: Antiemetic.

Aorta: The largest artery in the body, the aorta arises from the left ventricle of the he...

Aortic: Pertaining to the aorta, the largest artery in the body.

Aortic aneurysm: An outpouching (a local widening) of the largest artery in the body, the ...

Appendicitis: Inflammation of the appendix, usually associated with infection of the appen...

Appendix: A small outpouching from the beginning of the large intestine.

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Blood in the urine: Blood that appears in the urine. Also known as hematuria. Gross hematu...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Bruit: A sound heard over an artery or vascular channel, reflecting turbulence of flow. Mo...

Bypass: An operation in which a new pathway is created for the transport of substances in ...

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is ...

Calculi: The plural of calculus. Medically, a calculus is a stone, for example, a kidne...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Colic: A cause of crampy abdominal pain in early infancy. Colic is a common condition, occ...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Computerized tomography: Pictures of structures within the body created by a computer that...

Contraindication: A condition which makes a particular treatment or procedure potentially ...

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cystic fibrosis: A common grave genetic disease that affects the exocrine glands and is ch...

Cystine: An amino acid that is particularly notable because it is the least soluble of al...

Dehydration: Excessive loss of body water. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that ca...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dilation: The process of enlargement, stretching, or expansion. The word "dilatation" mean...

Diverticulitis: Inflammation of the diverticula (small outpouchings) along the wall of th...

Drain: A device for removing fluid from a cavity or wound. A drain is typically a tube or ...

Electrolyte: A substance that dissociates into ions in solution and acquires the capacity ...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

ESWL: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

Extracorporeal: Outside the body, in the anatomic sense. As in extracorporeal circulation,...

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: A technique for shattering a kidney stone or gallst...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Gallbladder: A pear-shaped organ located below the liver that stores the bile secreted by ...

Gland: A group of cells that secrete a substance for use in the body. For example, the thy...

Gout: Condition characterized by abnormally elevated levels of uric acid in the blood, rec...

Groin: The area where the thigh meets the hip.

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Hematuria: Blood in the urine. Hematuria may or may not be accompanied by pain, but it is...

Heredity: The genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to child.

HIV: Acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodefi...

Hypercalciuria: Excess calcium in the urine.

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Inflammatory bowel disease: A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by infla...

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion...

Intractable: Unstoppable. For example, intractable diarrhea is diarrhea that can't be stop...

Intussusception: Infolding (prolapse) of a portion of the intestine within another immedia...

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

Kidney stone: A stone in the kidney or a stone that originates in the kidney but has passe...

KUB: Abbreviation for kidney, ureter, and bladder.

Lithotripsy: A procedure to break a stone into small particles that can be passed in the u...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Microscope: An optical instrument that augments the power of the eye to see small objects....

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Narcotic: 1. A drug that causes insensibility or stupor. A narcotic induces narcosi...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Nephrolithiasis: The process of forming a kidney stone, a stone in the kidney (or lower ...

Nidus: In medicine, any structure that resembles a nest in appearance or function. From th...

Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal o...

Ovarian: Of or pertaining to the ovary.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Palpate: To touch or feel. For example, a physician may palpate the liver's edge when exam...

Pancreas: A spongy, tube-shaped organ that is about 6 inches long and is located in the ba...

Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas. Of the many causes of pancreatitis, the most c...

Predispose: To make more likely or render susceptible. Smoking predisposes to a number of ...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Prostate: A gland within the male reproductive system that is located just below the blad...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Radiate: To spread out from a central area. For example, sciatic pain may radiate outward ...

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

Recur: To occur again; to return. For example, a symptom, sign, or disease can recur.

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Remedy: Something that consistently helps treat or cure a disease.

Renal: Having to do with the kidney. For example, renal cancer is cancer of the kidneys.

Rib: One of the 12 paired arches of bone that form the skeletal structure of the chest wal...

Rib cage: The structure formed by the thoracic vertebrae and ribs, the sternum (breastbone...

Risk factor: Something that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. For exam...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Scrotum: The pouch of skin that contains the testes, epididymides, and lower portions of t...

Sepsis: The presence of bacteria (bacteremia), other infectious organisms, or toxins creat...

Shock: In medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow...

Stent: A tube designed to be inserted into a vessel or passageway to keep it open. Stents ...

Stethoscope: An instrument that is used to transmit low-volume sounds such as a heartbeat ...

Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. The...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Tomography: The process for generating a tomogram, a two-dimensional image of a slice or s...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

Ureter: One of the two tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. Each ureter...

Urethra: The tube that leads from the bladder and transports and discharges urine outside ...

Uric acid: A breakdown product of purines that are part of many foods. In gout, there are ...

Urinalysis: A test that is done in order to analyze urine. Because toxins and excess fluid...

Urinary: Having to do with the function or anatomy of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or ur...

Urinary tract: The organs of the body that produce, store, and discharge urine. These orga...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Urolithiasis: The process of forming stones in the kidney, bladder, and/or urethra (urina...

Urologist: A physician who specializes in diseases of the urinary organs in females and th...

Vessel: A tube in the body that carries fluids. Examples of vessels are blood vessels and ...

Vitamins: The word "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by the Warsaw-born biochemist Casimir Funk...

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...