Dictionary

congenital torticollis See torticollis, congenital.

congestive heart failure Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it, with failure of the heart to pump blood with normal efficiency. When this occurs, the heart is unable to provide adequate blood flow to other organs, such as the brain, liver, and kidneys. Abbreviated CHF. CHF may be due to…

conization Surgery to remove a cone-shaped piece of tissue from the cervix and cervical canal. Conization may be used to diagnose or treat a cervical condition. Also known as cone biopsy.

conjunctiva A thin, clear, moist membrane that coats the inner surfaces of the eyelids (palpebral conjunctiva) and the outer surface of the eye (ocular, or bulbar, conjunctiva). Inflammation of the conjunctiva is called conjunctivitis (pinkeye).

conjunctivitis Inflammation of the membrane covering the surface of the eyeball. It can be a result of infection or irritation of the eye, or it can be related to systemic diseases, such as Reiter syndrome. Also known as pinkeye.

conjunctivitis, allergic Inflammation of the whites of the eyes (the conjunctivae), with itching, redness, and tearing, that is caused by an allergic reaction and frequently accompanied by hay fever.

conjunctivitis arida See xerophthalmia.

Conn syndrome Overproduction of the hormone aldosterone by a tumor in the outer portion (cortex) of the adrenal gland. The excessive aldosterone results in low potassium levels (hypokalemia), underacidity of the body (alkalosis), muscle weakness, excessive thirst, excessive urination, and high blood pressure. Also known as aldosteronism and hyperaldosteronism.

connectionism A theory of information processing that is based on the neurophysiology of the brain. The basic tenets of connectionism are that signals are processed by elementary units (in this case, neurons), processing units are connected in parallel to other processing units, and connections between processing units are weighted. The weights may be hard-wired, learned,…

connective tissue A material consisting of protein fibers that form a framework that provides a support structure for body tissues. See also collagen.

connective tissue disease A disease (autoimmune or otherwise) that attacks the collagen or other core components of connective tissue. Lupus is a connective tissue disease.

connective tissue disease, mixed See mixed connective tissue disease.