Phlebitis Glossary of Terms

1. Spider and Varicose Veins Slideshow Pictures
2. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Slideshow Pictures

Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

Birth control: Birth control is the use of any practices, methods, or devices to prevent p...

Blood clot: A mass of coagulated blood. A blood clot can block a major blood vessel, causi...

Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

Bridge: A set of one or more false teeth supported by a metal framework, used to replace ...

Bruise: Injury of the soft tissues that results in breakage of the local capillaries and l...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Cast: 1) A protective shell of fiberglass, plastic, or plaster, and bandage that is molde...

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

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

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

Compress: Cloth or another material applied under pressure to an area of the skin and held...

Compression: 1. The act of pressing together. As in a compression fracture, nerve c...

D-dimer: A fragment produced during the degradation of a clot. The D here stands for domai...

Deep vein thrombosis: A blood clot within a deep vein, typically in the thigh or leg. The ...

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

Embolism: The obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance or a blood clot that tr...

Enoxaparin: A low-molecular-weight version of heparin that acts like heparin as an anticoa...

Extremity: An uttermost part of the body, such as a hand or a foot.

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

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

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

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 ...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Knee: The knee is a joint which has three parts. The thigh bone (the femur) meets the lar...

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Local treatment: Treatment that affects the tumor and the area close to it.

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

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

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

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

Pelvis: The lower part of the abdomen, located between the hip bones. Structures in the fe...

Peripheral: Situated away from the center, as opposed to centrally located.

Phlebitis: Inflammation of a vein. With phlebitis, there is infiltration of the walls of t...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Probe: (1) In surgery, a probe is a slender flexible rod with a blunt end used to e...

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

Proximal: Toward the beginning, the nearer of two (or more) items. For example, the proxim...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism: Sudden closure of a pulmonary artery or one of its branches, caused by...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Superficial: In anatomy, on the surface or shallow. As opposed to deep. The skin is superf...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Therapeutic: Relating to therapeutics, the branch of medicine that is concerned specifical...

Thigh: The thick, muscular portion of the leg that extends from the hip to the knee. The t...

Thrombi: Plural of thrombus.

Thromboembolism: Formation in a blood vessel of a clot (thrombus) that breaks loose and is...

Thrombophlebitis: Inflammation of a vein that occurs when a blood clot forms.

Thrombosis: The formation or presence of a blood clot in a blood vessel. The vessel may be...

Thrombus: A clot in a blood vessel or within the heart.

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

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

Upper leg: More properly called the thigh, the upper leg is the area between the knee and ...

Uterus: A hollow, pear-shaped organ that is located in a woman's lower abdomen, between th...

Varicose veins: See: Varicose vein.

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

Warfarin: An anticoagulant drug (brand names: Coumarin, Panwarfin, Sofarin) taken to prev...