intestine, large The tubelike organ that completes the process of digestion, receiving material from the small intestine. It has four parts: the caecum, the appendix (vermiform appendix), the colon, and the rectum. After the products of digestion enter the caecum through the ileocecal valve, they move rapidly past the appendix, which juts out from the…
intestine, small The tubelike organ that receives the products of digestion from the stomach. It has three parts: the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum. The duodenum is rich in glands that produce digestive enzymes, and it also receives bile from the liver. Digested material moves from the duodenum to the ileum through the jejunum….
intolerance, food Difficulty in digesting a food. Common offenders include milk products, wheat and other grains that contain gluten, and foods that tend to cause intestinal gas, such as cabbage and beans. Food intolerance is often mistaken for food allergy, but it does not involve a histamine response against the food. Treatments include avoiding the…
intra- Prefix indicating within.
intracranial hemorrhage Bleeding inside the head. Intracranial hemorrhage can be caused by many conditions including head injury, ruptured aneurysm, and stroke.
intractable Unstoppable. For example, intractable diarrhea is diarrhea that can’t be stopped, even with medication, and intractable pain is pain that can’t be stopped, even with medication.
intracytoplasmic sperm injection An assisted reproduction procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into a single egg cell in the laboratory to achieve fertilization. Abbreviated ICSI.
intradermal In the skin. For example, an intradermal injection is given into the skin. Abbreviated ID.
intradermal test A type of skin test in which an agent (often a protein) is injected into the skin to test the reaction to the agent. Intradermal tests are often used to diagnose allergies and to test cellular immunity.
intraductal carcinoma A condition characterized by the proliferation of malignant cells in the lining of a breast duct without evidence of spreading outside the duct to other tissues in the breast or outside the breast. Also known as ductal carcinoma in situ, abbreviated DCIS. DCIS is clearly a precursor (forerunner) of invasive breast cancer. DCIS…
intraductal papilloma A benign, wart-like growth that occurs in breast ducts.
intraepithelial Within the layer of cells that forms the surface or lining of an organ. For example, a blister forms fluid in the intraepithelial layer of the skin.