Category: Ra-Re

A herpes virus infection of the geniculate nerve ganglion that causes paralysis of the facial muscles on the same side of the face as the infection. The geniculate ganglion is a sensory ganglion associated with the VIIth cranial nerve. The Ramsay Hunt syndrome is usually associated with a rash and blisters. The syndrome is named for the pre-eminent 20th-century American neurologist James Ramsay…

An abnormal lung sound that can be heard through a stethoscope. Rales may be sibilant (whistling), dry (crackling), or wet (sloshy), depending on the amount and density of fluid refluxing back and forth in the air passages.

Elevation of half of the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen and that serves as the main muscle of respiration. The elevation of a hemidiaphragm is a significant sign of a problem. That problem may lie below, within or above the diaphragm: An elevated hemidiaphragm may be suspected on the physical examination and confirmed on an X-ray or CT of…

The smaller of the two bones of the forearm, located on the thumb’s side. (The larger bone in the forearm is the ulna.)

The treatment of disease with ionizing radiation. Also called radiation therapy. In radiotherapy, high-energy rays are often used to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing and dividing. A specialist in the radiation treatment of cancer is called a radiation oncologist. Like surgery, radiation therapy is a local treatment; it affects cancer cells only in the treated area. Radiation…

Opaque to one or another form of radiation, such as X-rays. Radiopaque objects block radiation rather than allow it to pass through. Metal, for instance, is radiopaque, so metal objects that a patient may have swallowed are visible on X-rays. Radiopaque dyes are used in radiology to enhance X-ray pictures of internal anatomic structures. The opposite of radiopaque is radiolucent.

Imitating radiation. A radiomimetic drug is one that imitates the effects of radiation as in the case of chemicals such as nitrogen mustards which are used in cancer chemotherapy. The “mimetic” part of “radiomimetic” comes from the Greek verb “mimeisthai” meaning “to imitate” and from “mimos” meaning “mime.” (The English word “mime” also comes from “mimos” as do “mimic”…

Permeable to one or another form of radiation, such as X-rays. Radiolucent objects do not block radiation but let it pass. Plastic is usually radiolucent. The opposite of radiolucent is radiopaque.

The medical specialty concerned with radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease, including both ionizing radiation such as X-rays and nonionizing radiation such as ultrasound. Also known as roentgenology.

A physician specialized in radiology, the branch of medicine that uses ionizing and nonionizing radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Like other physicians, a radiologist must have graduated from an accredited medical school or school of osteopathy, passed a licensing examination, and completed at least 4 years of graduate medical or osteopathic education (residency). Radiologists are usually board certified, that is,…