Category: Li-Lo

  • LMP

    Abbreviation for “last menstrual period.” By convention, pregnancies are dated in weeks starting from the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period (LMP). If her menstrual periods are regular and ovulation occurs on day 14 of her cycle, conception takes place about 2 weeks after her LMP. A woman is therefore considered to be 6 weeks pregnant 2…

  • LLQ

    Left lower quadrant (quarter). For example, the LLQ of the abdomen contains the descending portion of the colon.

  • LLL

    Acronym for the left lower lobe (of the lung). The left lung is divided into the left upper and left lower lobe.

  • LL

    1. Lower lid (of the eye). 2. Lower limit. The recommended LL for potassium intake is 4.7 grams per day for adults.

  • Lizard bite

    Only two types of lizards are poisonous: the Gila monster that lives in Arizona and Mexico and the beaded lizard of Mexico. Symptoms from their bites of these include pain, swelling, and discoloration in the area around the bite and swollen lymph nodes. Weakness, sweating, thirst, headache, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) may also develop. In…

  • Liver shunt

    Transjugular, intrahepatic, portosystemic shunt (TIPS), is a shunt (tube) placed between the portal vein which carries blood from the intestines to the liver and the hepatic vein which carries blood from the liver back to the heart. It is used primarily (but not exclusively) in patients with cirrhosis in which the scar tissue within the liver has blocked the flow…

  • Liver pain

    Pain coming from the liver. The liver does not contain nerve fibers that sense pain. Therefore, liver tissue can be cut, burned, or compressed without causing pain. There are pain fibers, however, in the liver’s capsule, a thin layer of tissue that surrounds the liver tissue itself. The pain fibers of the capsule are stimulated when the…

  • Liver failure

    Liver failure: a condition that occurs when the liver is damaged and no longer able to function. Liver failure may be come on suddenly (acute) or develop slowly over time (chronic), depending upon the cause. There are a number of diseases and conditions that can result in liver failure. Examples include hepatitis B and C, hemochromatosis (iron overload), alcohol abuse,…

  • Liver disease

    Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large organ in the upper right abdomen that aids in digestion and removes waste products from the blood. Liver disease includes the following conditions: Alcohol abuse is one leading cause of liver disease. Infections, poisons, and inherited (genetic) conditions can also cause diseases…

  • Liver

    The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on the right side. The liver has a multitude of important and complex functions, including to manufacture proteins, including albumin (to help maintain the volume of blood) and blood clotting factors; to synthesize, store, and process fats, including fatty acids (used for energy) and cholesterol;…