Medical Terms

Explanation of Medical Terms about dwarfism and skeletal problems

cartilage	Firm, elastic connective tissue with collagen fibers.
chondrocyte	A cell which produces cartilage.
collagen	Collagen is a tough, glue-like protein that represents 30% of the body protein and shapes the structure of tendons, bones, and connective tissues.
coxa vara	a deformity at the hip joint that occurs when the head of the femur is at an angle of less than 120 degrees to the shaft of the femur, causing the femur to not fit into the hip socket correctly
diaphysis	Shaft or mid section of the long bones.
dysplasia	Abormal or different shape. From Greek dys=bad, plas=shape.
epi	From Greek, meaning upon, at, in addition.
Epidural	See:http://dict.die.net/epidural%20anesthesia/
epiphyseal plate	The growth plate of the long bone, just below the bone end.
Inguinal Hernia	See http://www.pedisurg.com/PtEduc/Inguinal_Hernia.htm
long bone	A long bone is a bone that has a shaft and 2 ends. Long bones contain yellow bone marrow and red bone marrow (which produces blood cells).
meta	From Greek, among, with; after; beyond; completely.
metaphyseal layer	Ends of the long bone, after ephiphyseal growth plate.
Odontoid Process	a toothlike process that stabilizes the connection between the head and the neck. It sticks up through the first and second cervical vertebrae, providing support as the head moves backwards and forwards. An image of an odontoid process
poly	From Greek, many.
phys	From Greek, nature, growth.
skeletal	Having to do with the skeleton (bones).
skeletal dysplasia	A condition where at least one bone in the body does not grow correctly.
spondylo	Having to do with the spine.
vertebrae	The bones in the spine. Vertebrae are classified into three sections: Cervical (7 vertebrae in the neck), Thoracic (12 vertebrae in between the cervical and Lumbar), and Lumbar (5 vertebrae, the bottom part of the spine). The names of vertebrae are often referred by their classification. For example L4 is the 4th lumbar vertebrae. See: http://www.spine-health.com/topics/anat/a02.html for more information.

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On-Line Medical Dictionaries

• http://www.bdid.com/termsa.htm. This carefully written glossary is part of the Birth Disorder Information Directory site. It is designed for people encountering complicated genetic terminology for the first time. It is very comprehensive.
  
• Terms specific to dwarfism are explained at the Little People of America’s Medical Resource Center Glossary Page: http://medical.lpaonline.org/glossary/. (back on line as of 8/2004)
  
• An excellent reference for on-line medical dictionaries http://www.kumc.edu/gec/glossary.html
  
• http://www.weihenstephan.de/~schlind/genglos.html lets you to enter a genetic term and get a definition. It also allows you to you pick alphabetically. This site has over 600 entries and is well worth browsing through.
  
• Pharmaceudical (medical drugs/prescriptions) acronyms and vocabulary: http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/
  
• Genetic Information and Patient Services, Inc. (GAPS) medical dictionary: http://aspin.asu.edu/geneinfo/glossary.htm
  
• A patient’s guide to the internet: http://www.patientsguide.com/. This site contains helpful information including support groups, medical glossary (the guide to understanding Greek and Latin roots of medical terms is especially helpful), and a list of medical references.

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Links to list of Health Acronyms

• SMD means Spondylometaphyseal dysplasia.
  
• SED means spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia
  
• Health Care Compliance Association’s Acronym page: http://www.hcca-info.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Compliance_Resources/Acronyms/Acronyms_X_Y_Z.htm
  
• Managed Care Acronyms: http://www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu/cnetwork/resources/glossary/gloacron.html
  
• Pharmaceutical (medical drugs/prescriptions) acronyms and vocabulary: http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/