Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «V»:
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Valgus
Valgus: (valga, valgum) Angled outward, bent or twisted outward, as in cubitus valgus, coxa valga, hallux valgus, and genu valgum....
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Valine
Valine: An amino acid, one of the 20 building blocks of protein. A dietary essential amino acid, valine is required for optimal growth of children. It is one of the three branched-chain amino acids. Deficiency of the dehydrogenase enzyme for these branched-chain amino acids causes maple syrup urine ...
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Vallecula
Vallecula: An anatomic term
for a crevice, furrow or depression. There are a variety of valleculae including
one in the brain, another in the nail matrix, etc. However, used alone, the term "vallecula" usually applies to the epiglottic vallecula, a depression just behind the root of the tongue bet...
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Valley fever
Valley fever: A disease also called coccidioidomycosis (CM) due to a fungus called Coccidioides immitis. About 40% of people infected with this fungus develop symptoms. Most often they have an influenza-like illness with fever, cough, headaches, rash, and myalgias (muscle pains). Of those people wit...
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Valsalva
Valsalva: 1. The Valsalva maneuver in which a person tries to exhale forcibly with a closed glottis (windpipe) so that no air goes out through the mouth or nose.
2. The renowned Italian anatomist, pathologist, physician, and surgeon Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666-1723) who first described the maneuver...
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Valsalva maneuver
Valsalva maneuver: A maneuver in which a person tries to exhale forcibly with a closed glottis (the windpipe) so that no air exits through the mouth or nose as, for example, in strenuous coughing, straining during a bowel movement, or lifting a heavy weight. The Valsalva maneuver impedes the return ...
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Valsalva, Antonio Maria
Valsalva, Antonio Maria: Italian anatomist and pathologist, physician and surgeon (1666-1723), perhaps best known for the Valsalva maneuver.
Valsalva described and depicted even the smallest muscles and nerves of the ear, subdividing the ear into its internal, middle, and external parts, and he show...
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Value, Daily
Value, Daily: See Daily Value....
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Valve, aortic
Valve, aortic: One of the four valves in the
heart, this valve is situated at exit of the left ventricle of the
heart where the aorta (the largest of all arteries) begins.
The aortic valve lets blood from the left ventricle be pumped up
(ejected) into the aorta but prevents blood once
it is in ...
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Valve, bicuspid
Valve, bicuspid: One of the four
valves of the heart, this one is situated between the left
atrium and the left ventricle. It permits blood to flow one
way only, from the atrium into the ventricle. The valve is
more commonly called the mitral valve because its two flaps
(cusps) makes it look...
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Valve, mitral
Valve, mitral: One of the
four valves of the heart, the mitral valve is situated between
the left atrium and the left ventricle. It
permits blood to flow one way: from the left atrium into the left ventricle. The
mitral valve has two flaps (cusps) and so is called "mitral" because it looks
like...
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Valve, pulmonary
Valve, pulmonary: One of the
four valves in the heart, the pulmonary valve stands at the
opening from the right ventricle in the pulmonary artery
trunk. It lets blood head in the right direction (toward
the lungs) and keeps it from sloshing back from the
pulmonary artery into the heart. ...
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Valve, Spitz-Holter
Valve, Spitz-Holter: See Spitz-Holter valve....
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Valve, tricuspid
Valve, tricuspid: One of the
four heart valves, the tricuspid valve is the first one
that blood encounters as it enters the heart. The tricuspid
valve is situated between the right atrium and right
ventricle and allows blood to flow only from the atrium
into the ventricle. ...
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Valves, heart
Valves, heart: There are four
heart valves. All are one-way valves. Blood entering the
heart first passes through the tricuspid valve and then the
pulmonary valve. After returning from the lungs, the blood
passes through the mitral (bicuspid) valve and exits via
the aortic valve. ...
