Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «P»:
Parathyroid hormone: See Parathormone....
Parathyroid insufficiency: See: Hypoparathyroidism....
Parathyroidectomy: Surgical removal of one or more of the parathyroid glands. Parathyroidectomy is usually done to treat hyperparathyroidism. Primary hyperparathyroidism is the most common disorder of the parathyroid glands, and is characterized by an elevation in the blood levels of calcium, loss o...
Parathyroids, hypoplasia of the thymus and
Parathyroids, hypoplasia of the thymus and: See: DiGeorge syndrome....
Parenchyma: The key elements of an organ essential to its functioning, as distinct from the capsule that encompasses it and other supporting structures. The parenchyma is thus opposed to the connective tissue framework, or stroma, of an organ. The parenchyma of the testis consists of what are called...
Parenchymal: Pertaining to the parenchyma of an organ. See: Parenchyma....
Parentalism: A parent's attitude of dominance over one or more children. For example, a parent stating "I'm the boss around this house" is a demonstration of parentalism....
Parentectomy: A slang term meaning removal of a parent (or both parents) from the child. It is of relevance to the hospitalization of children. Dr. M. Murray Peshkin (1892-1990), the medical director of the Children's Asthma Research Institute and Hospital in Denver from 1940 to 1959, noticed that s...
Parenteral: Entering the body not by the alimentary tract but rather by another means (such as the subcutaneous, the intramuscular, or often the intravenous route).
From para- (Greek for "apart from") + enteral (from the Greek "enteron" meaning "intestine") = apart from the intestine....
Parenteral nutrition: Intravenous feeding. Also called parenteral alimentation....
Paresis: 1 Incomplete paralysis. 2 A form of neurosyphilis (syphilis affecting the central nervous system -- the brain and spinal cord). Also known as general paresis, neurolues, acute syphilitic meningitis, meningovascular syphilis, tabes dorsalis, and the great pox. First recognized in Europe as a...
Paresis, general: A part of late ("tertiary")
syphilis a decade or more after the initial infection, due to chronic inflammation of the
covering and substance of the brain (meningoencephalitis) which results in progressive
dementia and generalized paralysis....
Paresthesia: An abnormal sensation of the skin, such as numbness, tingling, pricking, burning, or creeping on the skin that has no objective cause. Paresthesia is the usual American spelling and paraesthesia the preferred English spelling.
Pronounced par·es·the·sia. From the Gr...
Paricalcitol: A vitamin D analogue. Brand name: Zemplar. In 1998 paricalcitol was approved by the FDA for the treatment of hyperparathyroidism due to chronic renal failure. It causes less elevation of calcium than calcitriol, another vitamin D analogue and is associated with a lower mortality rate t...
Parietal: Adjective from the Latin "parietalis"
meaning "belonging to the wall" that the ancient anatomists used to designate the wall, as of a body cavity.
For examples, there are the:
Parietal bone -- the main side bone of the skull.
Parietal lobe -- the main side lobe of the brain (it is beneat...