Dictionary

causalgia Intense burning pain and sensitivity to the slightest vibration or touch, usually in the hand or foot, at a site some distance removed from a wound that has healed.

cauliflower ear An acquired deformity of the external ear to which wrestlers and boxers are particularly vulnerable, due to trauma. When a blood clot (hematoma) forms under the skin of the ear, the clot disrupts the connection of the skin to the ear cartilage. The cartilage has no other blood supply except from the overlying…

caul Folk term for the membranes that surround the fetus in the womb, particularly for the presence of these membranes over the newborn infant’s face or head at birth, a relatively common and usually harmless occurrence. In some cultures, the presence of a caul at birth is considered spiritually significant.

caudal regression syndrome A disorder characterized by absence of all or part of the sacrum and dysfunction of the bowels, bladder, and legs. About 20 percent of children with caudal regression are born to mothers with diabetes. Treatment involves surgery to correct these defects, when possible.

caudal anesthesia Anesthesia produced by injection of a local anesthetic into the caudal canal, the sacral portion of the spinal canal. Caudal anesthesia is used to provide anesthesia and analgesia (pain relief) below the umbilicus. It may be the sole anesthetic or combined with general anesthesia. Also known as caudal epidural anesthesia or a caudal…

caudad Toward or of the feet or tail. The opposite of cranial. See also Appendix B, “Anatomic Orientation Terms.”

cauda equina syndrome Impairment of the nerves in the cauda equina, characterized by dull pain in the lower back and upper buttocks and lack of feeling (analgesia) in the buttocks, genitalia, and thigh, together with disturbances of bowel and bladder function.

cauda equina A bundle of spinal nerve roots that arise from the end of the spinal cord. The cauda equina comprises the roots of all the spinal nerves below the first lumbar (L1) vertebra in the lower back.

cathexis In psychiatry, the concentration of psychic energy on an idea.

catheter, Swan-Ganz A style of oximetry catheter that is inserted into a major vein under the collarbone or in the neck, threaded through the right side of the heart, and then threaded into the pulmonary artery. Physicians can use monitoring equipment with a Swan-Ganz catheter to measure blood pressure inside the heart and to find…

catheter, PA A catheter that is inserted into the pulmonary artery.

catheter, oximetry A catheter used with monitoring equipment that can measure the amount of oxygenated hemoglobin in the bloodstream. See also catheter, Swan-Ganz.