#medical dictionary

• Arteriotome — A specialized surgical instrument, such as a scalpel or microscopic finishing knife, used for the precise longitudinal or transverse sectioning of an artery wall. This structurally high-precision device is designed to minimize tissue trauma to the vascular tunics during the initiation of reparative procedures.
• Arteriotomy — A surgical intervention consisting of the operative incision of an artery wall, structurally performed to allow the extraction of a thrombus (thrombectomy), the insertion of a dilation catheter, or the creation of an anastomosis. It represents a fundamental operative step executed under strict temporary hemostasis conditions.
• Arteritic — Feminine singular form of the adjective 'arteritic'; presenting an inflammatory arterial nature or associated with the clinical manifestations of arteritis. It is frequently used to describe severe vascular conditions or organic complications.
• Female roundworm — A feminine noun form occasionally used in older medical literature or as a synonymous variant to designate a female roundworm or the parasite itself; a nematode worm from the Secernentea class responsible for causing ascariasis in humans and animals through the ingestion of embryonated eggs from contaminated soil, water, or food.
• Ascaridiosis — A parasitic infectious disease, widespread in humans and animals, caused by infestation with roundworms of the genus Ascaridia or Ascaris. This parasitic condition develops primarily within the small intestine, where the presence of parasites causes severe digestive disorders, acute abdominal pain, malnutrition states, and allergic reactions due to released toxins.
• Aspergilloma — A pseudotumoral fungal mass, appearing as a ball or conglomerate, developed by the colonization of fungi from the Aspergillus genus (especially Aspergillus fumigatus) within a pre-existing pulmonary cavity (such as those left by tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, or air cysts). Also known as a fungus ball, it develops without invading the surrounding lung tissue, but can cause severe hemoptysis by eroding adjacent blood vessels.
• Aspermatism — A medical condition characterized by the total inability to secrete or ejaculate semen during the sexual act, although the sensation of orgasm and erection may be present; it represents a severe form of male infertility caused either by neurological dysfunctions, mechanical obstructions of the ejaculatory ducts, congenital disorders, or deep psychological factors.
• Aspirin — A medication with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antiplatelet action, chemically represented by acetylsalicylic acid; widely used globally for relieving mild to moderate pain, reducing fever, treating inflammation, and preventing cardiovascular diseases (such as myocardial infarction) by thinning the blood.
• Astasia — A neurological or psychiatric symptom manifested by the total inability or severe difficulty to maintain an erect position of the body (standing up), without the patient presenting actual muscle paralysis; it is caused by lesions in the cerebellum, frontal lobe, or by psychogenic conversion disorders, often appearing in structural correlation with abasia (inability to walk), forming the clinical syndrome known as astasia-abasia.
• Astomia — An extremely rare congenital malformation characterized by the complete absence of the oral orifice (the mouth). This severe structural anomaly of embryonic development requires complex and immediate postnatal surgical intervention to allow respiration and feeding of the newborn, being often associated with other developmental changes in the facial structure.
• Astragalectomy — An invasive surgical intervention in orthopedics consisting of the total or partial excision of the astragalus (talus) bone. This extreme structural procedure is performed in severe cases of irreparable crushing trauma, severe avascular necrosis of the talus, chronic bone infections (osteomyelitis), or advanced congenital foot deformities (such as congenital clubfoot resistant to other therapies).
• Auxology — An interdisciplinary science that studies the processes of growth, somatic development, and physical maturation of living organisms, particularly of the human being; a field closely linked to pediatrics and endocrinology, analyzing genetic, neuroendocrine, and environmental factors influencing body dynamics from birth to adulthood.
• Auxopathy — A general term used in clinical practice to denote any medical disorder, abnormality, or pathological condition affecting the process of physical growth and somatic development in the human body, caused by genetic, endocrine, nutritional, or environmental factors.
• Growth therapy — A medical method or therapeutic protocol focused on treating severe physical and stature development deficiencies in children and adolescents, primarily consisting of the controlled administration of growth hormone and the optimization of nutritional factors to stimulate skeletal elongation.