Dictionary

cruciate Cross-shaped.

cruciate ligament A ligament, such as the ligaments in the knee, that crosses other ligaments. See also anterior cruciate ligament; posterior cruciate ligament.

cruciate ligament, anterior See anterior cruciate ligament.

cruciate ligament, posterior See posterior cruciate ligament.

cryocardioplegia Cold-induced cardioplegia. See also cardioplegia.

cryoglobulinemia The presence in blood of abnormal proteins called cryoglobulins that have the unusual property of precipitating from the blood serum when it is chilled and redissolving upon rewarming. Cryoglobulins can increase the risk of blood clots forming in the brain (stroke), eyes, and heart. Cryoglobulins can also cause inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis), which…

cryopreservation The process of cooling and storing cells, tissues, or organs at very low temperatures to maintain their viability. For example, the technology of cooling and storing cells at a temperature below the freezing point (–196° C) permits high rates of survivability of the cells upon thawing.

cryoprotectant A chemical component of a freezing solution used in cryopreservation to help protect what is being frozen from freeze damage. The chemical glycerol, for example, is commonly used as a cryoprotectant to protect frozen red blood cells.

cryosurgery Treatment performed with an instrument that freezes and destroys abnormal tissue.

crypt In anatomy, variously a blind alley, a tube with no exit, a depression, or a pit in an otherwise fairly flat surface. For example, the tonsillar crypts are little pitlike depressions in the tonsils.

cryptorchidism A condition in which one or both testicles fail to move from the abdomen, where they develop before birth, down into the scrotum. Boys who have had cryptorchidism that was not corrected in early childhood are at increased risk for developing cancer of the testicles. Also known as undescended testicles.

C-section See caesarean section.