Glossary of Medical Terms

• Acute: Recent in onset
• Anaesthesia: The process of preventing pain perception. General anaesthesia involves the induction of an unconscious state
• Arthroscopy: Looking into a joint, typically using a rigid lensed instrument. Arthroscopic surgery involves surgical treatment via arthroscopic visualisation
• Biopsy: A piece of tissue obtained for diagnostic purposes
• Cardiology: The study of the heart
• Chronic: Long standing
• Cystoscopy: Looking inside the bladder using an endoscope
• Diagnostic imaging: Obtaining an image of a region of the body for purposes of diagnosis. Includes radiography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography(CT)
• Electrocardiography: An ECG uses electrodes connected to the skin to measure the electrical activity of the heart. It measures not only heart rate, but can also detected damaged heart muscle and abnormal heart rhythms
• Endoscopy: Looking within an organ. Can be via rigid tubes, rigid lenses, fibreoptic cables or small videocameras
• Gastroenterology: The study of diseases of the oesophagus, stomach and intestines
• Myelogram: An X-ray technique in which radiographic contrast (‘dye’) is injected into the cavity surrounding the spinal cord so that the outline of the cord, and any compression from e.g. a prolapsed intervertebral disc, can be identified
• Oncology: The study and treatment of cancer
• Ophthalmology: The study and treatment of eye diseases
• Orthopaedics: The study and treatment of bone (and muscle) disease
• Prognosis: A prediction of the likely outcome of a disease. ''The prognosis is guarded'', for example, means that things may not go well, but we cannot be sure; many cases do not do well.
• Referral: A formal transfer of a case from one clinician to another for further investigation and management. At the VSC, all cases are referred from general practice, and the referral is requested by the referring veterinary surgeon.
• Sedation: Induction of sleepiness, generally to allow procedures without resorting to general anaesthesia, or to reduce drug doses in general anaesthesia
• Thoracic: Within the chest cavity
• Ultrasonography: The use of ultrasound to image tissue for diagnosis. Most familiar in its use for pregnancy diagnosis.