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June 19, 2013


Pilonidal Cyst Glossary of Terms

The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Pilonidal Cyst article.

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

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Acquired: Not inherited, or present at birth (congenital), but developing after birth. For...

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Anesthetic: A substance that causes lack of feeling or awareness, dulling pain to permit s...

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Anus: The opening of the rectum to the outside of the body.

Asymptomatic: Without symptoms. For example, an asymptomatic infection is an infection wit...

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

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Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover body organs. Ex...

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Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

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Cellulitis: A spreading bacterial infection underneath the skin surface characterized by r...

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

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Chronicity: The state of being chronic, having a long duration.

Coccygeal: Referring to the coccyx, the small tail-like bone at the bottom of the spine, t...

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Coccyx: The small tail-like bone at the bottom of the spine, very near the anus. It is the...

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Congenital: A condition that is present at birth, whether or not it is inherited.

Cyst: A closed sac or capsule, usually filled with fluid or semisolid material.

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Cysts: Cysts are abnormal, closed sac-like structures within a tissue that contain a liqui...

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Debridement: The act of debriding (removing dead, contaminated or adherent tissue or forei...

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

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Electrolysis: Permanent removal of body hair, including the hair root, with an electronic ...

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

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Excise: To cut out entirely. For example, a scalpel or laser beam may be used to excise a ...

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Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

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

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Hygiene: The science of preventive medicine and the preservation of health. Also commonly ...

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Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

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Incision: A cut through skin or other tissue performed by a health care professional.

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

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

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Ingrown hair: An embedded (ingrown) hair or tuft of hair.

Laser: A powerful beam of light that is used in some types of surgery to cut or destroy ti...

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Mortality: A fatal outcome or, in one word, death. The word "mortality" is derived from "m...

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Obese: Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obe...

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Operating room: A facility that is equipped for performing surgery. Abbreviated OR.

Outpatient: A patient who is not hospitalized, but instead comes to a physician?s office, ...

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

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Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

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Phenol: 1. A poisonous corrosive compound obtained by the distillation of coal tar ...

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Pilonidal: Refers to an embedded (ingrown) hair or tuft of hair. Literally, a nest of hair...

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Pilonidal cyst: An abscess that occurs in the cleft between the buttocks at the base of th...

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Pilonidal sinus: A sinus tract from which there may be chronic drainage of pus, due to an ...

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

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

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Purulent: Pertaining to pus. Containing or composed of pus.

Pus: A thick, whitish-yellow fluid that results from the accumulation of white blood cells...

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Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

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

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Sacrococcygeal: Pertaining to both the sacrum and coccyx (the tailbone). Teratomas are oft...

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Saline: Relating to salt. As an adjective, "saline" means "salty, containing salt." As a n...

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Sinus: 1. An air-filled cavity in a dense portion of a skull bone. The sinuses decr...

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Spine: 1) The column of bone known as the vertebral column, which surrounds and protects ...

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Squamous cell carcinoma: Cancer that begins in squamous cells -- thin, flat cells that loo...

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Subcutaneous: Under the skin. For example, a subcutaneous injection is an injection in whi...

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Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

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

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Systemic: Affecting the entire body. A systemic disease such as diabetes can affect the wh...

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Tailbone: Popular name for the coccyx, the small bone at the bottom of the spine made up o...

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Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...

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