| Angiography | x-ray examination of blood vessels after injection of a dye |
| Anodontia | teeth that have failed to develop |
| Angiofibroma | simple (benign) tumour composed of blood vessels and connective tissue |
| Angioma | simple (benign) tumour composed of blood or lymphatic tissue |
| Angiomatosis | mulitple angiomas of the skin and other organs |
| Aplasia | an organ or part of the body missing at birth |
| Arthropathy | a disease or disorder involving a joint |
| Arteriovenous | of arteries or veins |
| Atrophy | wasting of any tissue or organ |
| Asymmetry | both sides not same size |
| Benign | a non malignant tumour or growth that does not invade and destroy the tissue in which it originates or spread to other tissues |
| Bilateral | relating to two sides |
| Biopsy | removal of a small piece of living tissue for microscopic examination |
| Calcification | build up of calcium deposits |
| C.A.T. / C.T. Scan | Computed Axial Tomography’ x-ray of any organ, including the brain that uses computer reconstruction of multiple images at different planes (slices). |
| Cafe au lait spots | flat coffee coloured patches on the skin |
| Cardiac | relating to or affecting the heart |
| Camptodactyly | where one or more fingers are curved inwards on the palm (flexed) and are cannot be straightened |
| Cardio-vascular system | pertaining to the heart and blood vessels |
| Cartilaginous | containing cartilage |
| Central nervous system | the brain and the spinal cord |
| Chromosome | thread like structures present in the centre (nuclei) of all body cells (with the exception of the red blood cells), which store genetic information |
| Clubbing | thickening of the tissues at the bases of the fingers and or toe nails |
| Congenital | a condition which is recognised at birth or that is believed to have been present at birth |
| Connective tissue organs and other structures. | general term for all tissues of the body which support and connect various |
| Cranial | related to the skull |
| Craniosynostosis | premature closure of the gaps (sutures) between the skull bones |
| Cyst | a sack filled with fluid situated under the skin or in an internal organ |
| Defect | failure in normal function |
| Degeneration | worsening of a condition |
| Distal | situated furthest from the central line of the body |
| Dysfunction | impaired function |
| Dysgenesis | impaired or faulty development |
| Dysmorphic | an abnormality of the structure of part of the body |
| Dysostosis | defective formation of a bone |
| Dysplasia | an abnormality of tissue development |
| Dwarfism | abnormally short stature |
| Ectromelia | congenital absence or gross shortening of the long bones of one or more limb |
| E.C.G. | Electrocardiogram’ a recording of the electrical activity of the heart |
| E.E.G. | Electroencephalogram’ a recording of the electrical activity of the brain |
| Epidemiology | study of the incidence and geographical pattern of a disease |
| Exstrophy | congenital condition in which part of an internal organ is present outside the body (eg: bladder, intestine) |
| Facioscapulohumeral | affecting the face shoulder and upper arm |
| Fissure | a groove cleft or furrow |
| Fistula | an abnormal connection between two hollow organs (eg: bowel and bladder) |
| Flaccidflabby | lacking in firmness |
| Flexion | act of bending a joint |
| Genetics | a branch of medicine that deals with heredity |
| Gigantism | abnormally tall stature and or excessive growth |
| Girth | a measure around a part of the body or extremity |
| Haemangioma | a benign tumour composed of dilated blood vessels |
| Haemarthrosis | joint pain and swelling caused by bleeding into a joint |
| Haematoma | an accumulation of blood that clots within the tissues forming a solid sponge like swelling (when under the skin this is a simple bruise). |
| Hamartomatous | a benign tumour containing different tissue types such as muscle and skin. |
| Hemi – | prefix for ‘half’ |
| Hemihypertrophy | overgrowth of one side of the body |
| Heterotopia | the displacement of part of an organ from its normal position |
| Hydrocephalus | abnormal increase in pressure of cerebrospinal fluid within the skull |
| Hyper – | prefix for ‘more than normal’ |
| Hyperostosis | overgrowth of the bone |
| Hyperpigmented | excessively coloured usually the skin |
| Hypertonia | increased degree of tone or tension in muscles |
| Hypertrophy | increase in the size of any tissue or part of an organ |
| Hypopigmentation | patchy or complete pallor of the skin |
| Hypotonia | abnormally low muscular tension |
| Kyposis | Increase curvature of the spine to give a stooped posture (see also scoliosis) |
| Lesions | tissue with impaired function as a result of damage disease or wounding |
| Ligament | thick band of fibrous tissue connecting bones and joints |
| Lipoma | benign tumour of fatty tissue |
| Lipomatosis | the presence of muliple lipomas |
| Lymph | colourless fluid containing white cells, salt and small quantities of protein |
| Lymphangiectasia | dilated lymph vessels due to obstruction of flow |
| Macrencephaly | abnormally enlarged brain |
| Macrocephaly | abnormally large skull |
| Macrodactyly | abnormally large size of one or more of the fingers or toes |
| Macrognathia | marked overgrowth of the jaw |
| Macromelia | abnormally large size of the arms or legs |
| Malformation development | any variation from the normal physical structure due to abnormal |
| Malignant | a tumour or growth that invades and destroys the tissue in which it originates or spreads to other tissues |
| Microcephaly | abnormally small head abnormally small or short fingers (usually called brachydactyly) |
| M.R.I. Scan | Magnetic Resonance Imaging’ – a scan of the body which uses magnetic energy rather than radiation to view an organ or body parts, especially useful for viewing soft tissue |
| Oedema | swelling due to an accumulation of fluid in the tissues |
| Orofacial | of the mouth or face |
| Osteo- | prefix for ‘relating to bone’ |
| Osteochondritis | inflammation of the bone and cartilage |
| Papillae | small outgrowths or tags of skin |
| Port wine stain | a flat purplish mark on the skin usually present at birth |
| Proximal | situated towards the centre of the body |
| Purpura | purple spots and patches caused by leakage of blood into the tissues under the skin (bruising) |
| Scoliosis | curvature of the spine (from side to side – see also kyphosis) |
| Splenomegaly | enlarged spleen |
| Syndactyly | webbing or complete joining of fingers and or toes |
| Syndrome | a combination of signs and/or symptoms that form a clinical picture |
| Telangiectasia | radiating web like pattern of small blood vessels on the skin |
| Transverse | crosswise |
| Tumour | any unusual growth or lump within a tissue. It can be benign if it is not likely to spread to other tissues or malignant if it can spread to other tissues |
| Ultrasound | diagnostic test using ultrasonic waves to form a picture |
| Unilateral | involving one side only |
| Visceromegaly | enlargement of any of the major internal organs |
