Medical Terminology Glossary: [O]
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Obstipation Severe constipation.

Obstruction, High-grade or Low-grade Severe or mild blockage, of a hollow organ.

Obturator (Lymphnode) Located in the hollow between the pubis and ischium at the front of the bony pelvis.

OccipitoFrontal Circumference The standardised maximum circumference of the newborn skull.

OccipitoFrontal Circumference (OFC) The diameter of the newborn skull measured around the forehead and the lowest point of the back of the head.

Occlusion Blockage, without implication of a particular pathological mechanism.

Oligohydramnios Deficiency of liquor, the fluid surrounding the fetus.

Omentectomy Surgical removal of omentum.

Omentum Fold of peritoneum passing between the stomach and another abdominal organ.

Onlay (Graft) Laid on the outside of a bone or part.

Oophorectomy Surgical removal of ovary or ovaries.

Open Reduction and (Internal) Fixation Surgical correction of a bone-break, in contrast with simple splintage or other rigid immobilisation.

Ophthalmoplegia Weakness or paralysis of muscles of the eye.

Orbital Relating to the eye-socket.

Organizing, of Pneumonia In process of conversion into scar tissue.

Orifice, Ureteric The opening of the ureter into the bladder.

Orthodontic Pertaining to irregularities of the alignment of the teeth and their correction.

Os odontoideum The dens or peg of the axis or first cervical vertebra when developmentally unattached to the axis body.

Ossicle A small bone, in this case in the middle ear.

Ossiculoplasty Repair of the bones in the middle ear.

Osteoid Osteoma A benign tumour of bone, which may be locally invasive.

Osteoarthrosis (Osteoarthritis) Inflammation of joints, commonly those that are weight-bearing, as a result of thinning of the protective cartilage, bone-to-bone contact and consequent local bony outgrowths (osteophytes)

Osteomyelitis, Chronic Smouldering infection, usually bacterial, of an area of bone (marrow).

Osteonecrosis The death of bone in mass; distinguished from caries or relatively small foci of necrosis in bone.

Osteopenia Decreased bone density.

Osteoplastic Flap A surgical approach in which the frontal sinuses are entered via an incision in the front wall (forehead), rather than from the nose.

Osteotome A rotating blade designed for cutting bone.

Osteotomy Surgical removal of a short segment or wedge of a bone in order to shorten it or (corrective) alter its angulation.

Otitis Media Infection of the middle ear cavity.

Otoscope Lighted, magnifying instrument for examining ears.

Ovarian Cyst A pathological but usually noncancerous cavity in the ovary containing fluid, semisolid material or gas, and lined by a membrane.

Overlay, Functional Significant degree of psychological amplification or distortion of symptoms believed to have a physical origin.

Overwhelming Post Splenectomy Infection (OPSI) See

Ovulation Release of an "egg" by the ovary.

Ovum Retrieval Collection of an egg for the purpose of fertilisation outside the body.

Oxytocic Challenge Test Non Stress Test with pharmacologically-provoked mild uterine contractions, further to assess the resilience of a viable fetus to the stress of labour.

Oxytocic A natural or synthetic hormone which causes contraction of the uterine muscle.

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