X-rays Glossary of Terms

1. Men's Screening Tests Slideshow
2. Women's Screening Tests Slideshow

Background radiation: Radiation that comes from environmental sources including the earth'...

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

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

Chest X-ray: A type of X-ray commonly used to detect abnormalities in the lungs. A chest X...

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

Effective dose: The dose of a drug that will achieve the desired effect.

Environmental Protection Agency: The US government agency founded to "protect human health...

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

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

Lumbar: Referring to the five lumbar vertebrae, the disks below them, and the correspondin...

Lung cancer: Cancer of the major organ of respiration - the lung. Lung cancer kills more m...

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

Mammogram: An X-ray of the breast that is taken with a device that compresses and flattens...

Medical physics: The science of human health and radiation exposure. Medical physics, also...

Oncology: The field of medicine that is devoted to cancer. Clinical oncology consists of t...

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special func...

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

Progeny: The children and other descendants. For example one might say that the progeny of...

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

Radiation oncology: The medical specialty that is involved in the use of radiation (X-rays...

Radioactive: Emitting energy waves due to decaying atomic nuclei. Radioactive substances a...

Radiologic: Having to do with radiology.

Radiologist: A physician specialized in radiology, the branch of medicine that uses ionizi...

Radiology: The medical specialty concerned with radiation for the diagnosis and treatment ...

Radon: A radioactive element that is formed, as a gas, during the breakdown of radium. Rad...

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

Thoracic: Pertaining to the chest. For example, the thoracic aorta is the part of the aort...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Uranium: A metallic element that is used as nuclear fuel and is highly toxic and radioacti...

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