Dictionary

postpartum The period just after delivery, as with postpartum depression. Postpartum refers to the mother, and postnatal to the baby.

postop Short for postoperative; after a surgical operation. The opposite of postop is preop.

postnasal drip Mucous accumulation in the back of the nose and throat that leads to or gives the sensation of mucus dripping down from the back of the nose. Postnasal drip is one of the most common consequences of sinusitis, nasal allergies, and the common cold.

postmenopausal After menopause, the period of time after a woman has experienced 12 consecutive months without menstruation.

postmature infant A baby born 14 days or more after the usual 40 weeks of gestation. See also postterm infant.

posthitis Inflammation of the foreskin of the penis. In an uncircumcised male, posthitis usually occurs together with balanitis, inflammation of the glans, as balanoposthitis. See also balanitis; balanoposthitis.

postherpetic neuralgia See neuralgia, postherpetic.

posterior pituitary See pituitary, posterior.

posterior cruciate ligament The cross-shaped ligament that crosses behind the anterior cruciate ligament and within the knee joint. Abbreviated PCL. See also knee.

post- Prefix meaning after.

positron emission tomography See PET scan.

port-wine stain A mark on the skin whose rich, ruby-red color resembles that of port wine. Due to an abnormal aggregation of capillaries, a port-wine stain is a type of hemangioma. It can occur on the face as a sign of Sturge-Weber syndrome. See also Sturge-Weber syndrome.