Surgical Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction Glossary of Terms

Take the Impotence (ED) Quiz Impotence (ED) Slideshow Pictures Sex-Drive Killers Slideshow Pictures

Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the chest and the pelvis. The abdomen is separated anatomically from the chest by the diaphragm, the powerful muscle spanning the body cavity below the lungs.
See the entire definition of Abdomen

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.
See the entire definition of Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction: A common men's health problem characterized by the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse or the inability to achieve ejaculation, or both. Impotence can vary. It can involve a total inability to achieve an erection or ejaculation, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain only very brief erections. Erectile dysfunction is also called impotence,
See the entire definition of Erectile dysfunction

Erosion: An erosion is an eating away of a surface. ("Erodere" in Latin means to eat out.)
See the entire definition of Erosion

Implant: 1. To embed; to set in firmly. In embryology, the fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining 6 or 7 days after conception (fertilization). In medicine today, many things may be implanted.
2. That which is embedded. For example: lens implants, breast implants, cochlear implants, defibrillator implants, pacemaker implants, etc.

Impotence: A common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse or the inability to achieve ejaculation, or both. Impotence can vary. It can involve a total inability to achieve an erection or ejaculation, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain only very brief erections.
See the entire definition of Impotence

Infection: The growth of a parasitic organism within the body. (A parasitic organism is one that lives on or in another organism and draws its nourishment therefrom.) A person with an infection has another organism (a "germ") growing within him, drawing its nourishment from the person.
See the entire definition of Infection

Injure: To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emotional sense. Treadmill machines may injure anyone who gets on one. Sexual molestation injures children. From the Latin injuria meaning injury.

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen which clear "poisons" from the blood, regulate acid concentration and maintain water balance in the body by excreting urine. The kidneys are part of the urinary tract. The urine then passes through connecting tubes called "ureters" into the bladder. The bladder stores the urine until it is released during urination.

Kidney stone: A stone in the kidney (or lower down in the urinary tract).
See the entire definition of Kidney stone

Laparoscopy: A type of minimally invasive surgery in which a small incision (cut) is made in the abdominal wall through which an instrument called a laparoscope is inserted to permit structures within the abdomen and pelvis to be seen. The abdominal cavity is distended and made visible by the instillation of absorbable gas, typically, carbon dioxide. A diversity of tubes can be pushed through the same incision in the skin. Probes or other instruments can thus be introduced through the same opening. In this way, a number of surgical procedures can be performed without the need for a large surgical incision. Most patients receive general anesthesia during the procedure.
See the entire definition of Laparoscopy

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. There are three types of muscle in the body. Muscle which is responsible for moving extremities and external areas of the body is called "skeletal muscle." Heart muscle is called "cardiac muscle." Muscle that is in the walls of arteries and bowel is called "smooth muscle."

Oncology: The field of medicine devoted to cancer.
See the entire definition of Oncology

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special functions. The organs of the human body include the eye, ear, heart, lungs, and liver.

Organic: 1. A chemical compound that contains carbon.
2. Related to an organ.
3. Grown or prepared without the use of chemicals or pesticides, as in organic food.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors.
See the entire definition of Pain

Penile: Of or pertaining to the penis.

Penis: The external male sex organ used to copulate and ejaculate semen and to convey urine outside the body.
See the entire definition of Penis

Pharmacy: A location where prescription drugs are sold. A pharmacy is, by law, constantly supervised by a licensed pharmacist.

Prosthesis: An artificial substitute or replacement of a part of the body such as a tooth, eye, a facial bone, the palate, a hip, a knee or another joint, the leg, an arm, etc. A prosthesis is designed for functional or cosmetic reasons or both.
See the entire definition of Prosthesis

Prosthetic: Referring to a prosthesis, an artificial substitute or replacement of a part of the body such as a tooth, eye, a facial bone, the palate, a hip, a knee or another joint, the leg, an arm, etc. A prosthesis is designed for functional or cosmetic reasons or both.
See the entire definition of Prosthetic

Rectus: Usually refers to the rectus abdominis, a large muscle in the front of the abdomen that assists in the regular breathing movement and supports the muscles of the spine while lifting and keeping abdominal organs such as the intestines in place. The rectus abdominis plays a key role in "sit-ups."
See the entire definition of Rectus

Relapse: The return of signs and symptoms of a disease after a patient has enjoyed a remission. For example, after treatment a patient with cancer of the colon went into remission with no sign or symptom of the tumor, remained in remission for 4 years, but then suffered a relapse and had to be treated once again for colon cancer.
See the entire definition of Relapse

Reservoir: 1. A place where something such as water is kept in reserve.
2. The part of a device in which something is kept in reserve or stored, as an Ommaya reservoir.
3. For an infectious agent, an animal, person, plant, soil, or other substance in which the agent normally abides. See: Reservoir of infection.
From the French reservoir, from reserver meaning to reserve.

Scrotum: A pouch of skin which contains the testes, epididymides, and lower portions of the spermatic cords.

Surgery: The word "surgery" has multiple meanings. It is the branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions which require or are amenable to operative procedures. Surgery is the work done by a surgeon. By analogy, the work of an editor wielding his pen as a scalpel is s form of surgery. A surgery in England (and some other countries) is a physician's or dentist's office.
See the entire definition of Surgery

Therapy: The treatment of disease.
See the entire definition of Therapy

Urethra: The transport tube leading from the bladder to discharge urine outside the body. In males, the urethra travels through the penis, and carries semen as well as urine. In females, the urethra is shorter than in the male and emerges above the vaginal opening, as indicated here:

Vascular: Relating to the blood vessels of the body. The blood vessels of the body, as a group, are referred to as the vascular system.
See the entire definition of Vascular