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D

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D & C: A surgical procedure intended to achieve dilation of the cervix and curettage of the uterus (scraping of the lining of the uterus)

Dactylitis: inflammation of a digit (e.g. toe, finger)

Daltonism: inability to perceive or distinguish certain colours, especially red

Debridement: the removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue

Debriding: removing dead, contaminated or adherent tissue or foreign material to facilitate healing

Decubitus ulcer: pressure sore

Defibrillation: restoration of heart rhythm by means of an electric shock

Dehydration: loss or restriction of water

Deltoid muscle: muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder running from the scapula and clavicle to the middle of the humerus

Dermal: relating to the skin

Dermatitis: inflammation of the skin

Dermatoplasty: any operation on the skin, especially plastic surgery e.g. skin grafting

Dermis: layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue, and cushions the body from stress and strain

Detached retina: a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blindness

Devitalize: to deprive of life, vigour or effectiveness

Diabetes (mellitus): a syndrome characterized by disordered metabolism and inappropriately high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) resulting from either low levels of the hormone insulin or from abnormal resistance to insulin's effects coupled with inadequate levels of insulin secretion to compensate. The characteristic symptoms are excessive urine production (polyuria), excessive thirst and increased fluid intake (polydipsia), and blurred vision

Diaclasia: the deliberate surgical fracture of a bone in order to reset a deformity

Dialysis: technique used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function due to renal failure

Diaphoresis: excessive sweating

Diaphragm: a thin layer of tissue stretched across an opening eg thoracic diaphragm- a sheet of muscle separating the thorax and abdomen of mammals; urogenital diaphragm- a layer of the pelvis separating deep perineal sac from the upper pelvis ; pelvic diaphragm - a pelvic muscle consisting of the Levator ani and the Coccygeus. There are a number of structures that act as diaphragms, including the iris and the eardrum
Diaphysis: main or mid-section (shaft) of a long bone

Diastasis: The forcible separation of parts of the body that are normally joined together e.g the separation of certain abdominal muscles during childbirth

Digit: a finger, thumb or toe

Dilation: opening or widening e.g. cervical dilation during childbirth

Diplegia: a type of cerebral palsy primarily affecting the legs

Diplopia: double vision

Diphtheria: an upper respiratory tract illness characterized by sore throat, low fever and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity

Disarticulation: amputation or separation at a joint

Disc: a flat, circular, coin shaped structure

Discography: examination of the intervertebral disk space using x-rays after injection of contrast media into the disk

Dislocation: the abnormal displacement of a bone from a joint

Distal: the extremity of a limb or organ furthest from the centre of the body

Diverticulitis: common digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine caused by the inflammation of diverticula (see below)

Diverticulosis: formation of pouches (diverticula) on the outside of the colon

Diverticulum: a pouch formed by diverticulosis

Dorsal: at the back

Dorsal spine: the series of vertebrae that extend from the cranium to the coccyx, providing support and forming a flexible bony case for the spinal cord

Dorsiflexion: turning upward of the foot or toes or of the hand or fingers

Dorsum: the back or posterior side of a structure

Down’s syndrome: a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome

Duodenal: relating to the duodenum

Duodenitis: inflammation of the duodenum

Duodenum: first part of the small intestine. It is located between the stomach and the jejunum (the middle part of the small intestine)

Dura mater: tough and inflexible outermost of the three layers of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord

Dysarthria: speech that is characteristically slurred, slow, and difficult to produce (difficult to understand) caused by the muscles involved with speaking or the nerves controlling them

Dyslexia: specific learning disability that manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language, particularly with reading and spelling

Dysmenorrhoea: painful menstruation

Dysphasia: a disorder of language involving the selection of words to be spoken and the formulation of appropriate sentences or phrases

Dyspnoea (Dispnea): difficulty in breathing or painful breathing

Dystocia: an abnormal or difficult childbirth or labour

Dystrophy: any condition of abnormal development, especially denoting the degeneration of muscles

Dysuria: pain during urination

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