Dictionary

renal stone See kidney stones.

renal transplant See kidney transplant.

renal tubule A small structure in the kidney that filters blood and produces urine.

renal vein thrombosis A blood clot in the major vein that drains blood from the kidney.

Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome See hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

rep 1 Slang for a pharmaceutical company representative. 2 Roentgen equivalent physical, a unit of absorbed radiation approximately equivalent to one roentgen.

reperfusion The restoration of blood flow to an organ or to tissue. After a heart attack, an immediate goal is to quickly open blocked arteries and reperfuse the heart muscles. Early reperfusion minimizes the extent of heart muscle damage and preserves the pumping function of the heart.

repetitive stress injury An injury that occurs due to recurrent overuse or improper use. One of the best-known repetitive stress injuries is carpal tunnel syndrome, which often results from the trauma of highly repetitive work such as that of supermarket checkers, assembly-line workers, typists, word processors, accountants, and writers.

replacement therapy, hormone See hormone therapy.

replication A turning back, repetition, duplication, or reproduction. See also DNA replication.

reportable disease A disease that must be reported to federal, state, or local health officials when diagnosed.

reproduction The production of offspring. Reproduction need not be sexual; for example, yeast can reproduce by budding.