Wada testing: (Neuropsych) behavioral and
memory testing where injection of anesthetic is given which suspends activity
to an area of the brain, usually to determine suitability for surgery; AKA, intracorticoid amobarbital procedure.
wafer procedure:
(Ortho) ulna/hand.
Wagner vitreoretinal
degeneration: (Ophth) familial eye disease.
Wagner antrum punch: (Instrument)
Wagner procedure: (Ortho)
to correct leg length discrepancy
Wagoner osteotomy: (Ortho) spine
wagon wheel fracture:
(Ortho)
of the femoral epiphysis
WAIS: (Psych/Test)
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
waist fracture: (Ortho) wrist, scaphoid.
Waldenstrom
macroglobulinemia: (Hem/Condition) proliferation of cells resembling
lymphocytes; hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, purpura and mucosal bleeding.
Walgreen’s store-brand
OTC medications: including Wal-dryl,
Wal-Minic, Wal-phed, Wal-Tussin, Wal-Profen,
Wal-Proxen, Wal-Four nasal
spray, Wal-Phosphate, Wal-itin
antihistamine.
WalkAide system: (Device)
treatment for footdrop, self-contained unit worn below the knee, stimulates
muscles (1998).
WalkCare slippers: OTC sequential foot compression device to prevent
edema and DVT, marketing aimed at using on plane flights particularly (2001).
Walker-Murdoch wrist
sign: a sign of Marfan syndrome; grip wrist with opposite hand, positive if
thumb and fifth finger overlap.
Wallach Papette: (Instrument) cervical cell
collector.
Wallach ZoomScope: (Equip) colposcope, operating microscope
wallerian degeneration:
(Neuro)
nerve fiber degeneration
Walsham nasal forceps:
(Instrument)
for reduction and fixation of nasal fractures.
Walther urethral
sound: (Instrument) Note the “th”
spelling of Walther.
Walther-Crenshaw meatus clamp:
(Instrument)
Walton-Schubert uterine
forceps: (Instrument)
WAMBA:
(Surgery) Wise areola
mastopexy breast augmentation.
Wand Plus: (Equip) computer-controlled anesthetic delivery system for subcutaneous and IM local anesthesia and/or nerve block (2001).
Wander Guard: (Device) 2
words; hand/ankle bracelet to prevent elderly (or prisoners) from wandering
away from intended areas of confinement.
Wang needle: (Instrument)
for transtracheal needle aspiration
Wangensteen
herniorrhaphy: (Proc/GI)
want: to desire to have; see “wont” for alternative.
Wappler cystoscope: (Uro)
Wardill-Kilner
repair: (Surgery) for repair of cleft palate.
Ward triangle: on
pelvic x-ray, framed by the principal trabeculae.
warfarin sodium tablets:
generic equivalent of
Coumadin; anticoagulant, Rx (1997).
warm antibody hemolytic anemia: (Condition) premature destruction of red blood cells by
the body’s natural defenses against invading organisms, antibodies.
WarmLine:
a national
telephone consult service for US
healthcare providers, 1-800-933-3413.
warm water calorics:
(ENT)
part of ENG; warm stimulation of the right ear will produce right-beating
nystagmus, etc.
Wartenberg syndrome: (Neuro) radial nerve entrapement.
Warthin tumor: benign, of the parotid gland.
Warthin-Starry silver
stain: (Lab) stain of lymph nodes to detect Bartonella henselae
organisms.
Wart Stick: trademarked
name for OTC wart remover (Source: Mfg Pedifix 2002)
Wasko common duct probe:
(Instrument)
Watanabe
arthroscope: (Device)
water bottle sound:
(GI) a “tinkling” or
“trickling” sound heard in obstructive lesions on abdominal examination.
water-hammer pulse: (Cardio) forcible pulse
with immediate collapse; aka, cannonball pulse or piston pulse.
watering can perineum:
(GI/GU)
deformity caused by fistula(e).
water siphon test: (GI) for GERD
Waters view: (Radio) x-ray
view of sinuses, commonly misspelled or typed wrong, it was named after Dr
Charles Alexander Waters, so always capitalized and no apostrophe!
Waterston shunt: (CardioPulm) for congenital pulmonary stenosis.
Watson test: (Ortho) wrist, scapholunate instability.
Watson tonsil
forceps: (Instrument)
Watson-Jones
arthrodesis: hip or shoulder fusion; Watson-Jones repair.
Watzke sleeve: (Ophth)
WA
videosigmoidoscope: (Device)
WAVE study: (Trial) Women’s Angiographic Vitamin and Estrogen
trial, to study hormones and vitamins role in preventing coronary artery
disease in women.
WaveScan Wavefront system: (Ophth)
used to measure refractive errors in the eye prior to refractive laser surgery
for vision correction (MT Desk 2000).
wax and wane: a phrase meaning to intermittently get worse, then
improve.
Waygo hydraulic table:
an examination table.
WBC esterase: (Lab) leukocyte esterase, found in infected urine,
UTI.
WDLL: (Abbrev) well-differentiated or widely disseminated
?
Weary spatula: (Instrument) for brain surgery
Weaver chalazion
clamp: (Instrument)
Weaver and Dunn
procedure: (Ortho) for acromioclavicular separation.
weaver’s bottom: a
phrase referring to the condition of ischial gluteal bursitis; named for the
position of sitting on the floor that some weavers take as they do their craft,
not named after a person, do not capitalize and use the apostrophe.
Webb vein stripper: (Instrument)
Weber A fracture: (Ortho) fibular
fracture distal to tibiotalar joint
Weber B fracture: fibular fracture near joint and medial malleolus.
Weber C fracture: fracture of proximal fibula and medial malleolus.
Weber hip implant: (Ortho)
Webril bandage
Wechsler Intelligence
Scales: (Psych/Test) standardized tests for pre-school
children, school-age children, and adults; sometimes abbreviated as WISC
(Wechsler Intelligence Scale – Child) or WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale), etc.
Weck-cel sponge: (Surgery) for eye surgery
Weder tongue depressor:
(Instrument)
Weder-Solenberger retractor: (Instrument)
The Wedge: (Ortho)
brand name of a bioresorbable implant used to attach a graft during cruciate
ligament reconstruction.
wedge fracture: (Ortho) vertebra
wedge pressure: intravascular pressure
measured usually in pulmonary artery for left atrial pressure estimate.
Weeks speculum: (Instrument)
Wegener
granulomatosis: (Pulm) ulcerations
affecting upper respiratory tract with fever, rhinorrhea, etc.
Wegner disease: syphilitic
osteochondritis (Note: Be careful with spelling).
weightbearing: Note that this is one word (Source: MT Desk)
weighted radiograph: (Radio) technique
where patient holds weights to distract or stress the joint.
Weil lacrimal
cannula: (Instrument)
Weil osteotomy:
(Pod) foot, for correction of
deformity, injury, etc., to metatarsals.
Weinberg vagotomy
retractor: (Instrument)
Weinstein enhanced
sensory test: (WEST-hand, WEST-foot) nerve testers used to evaluate
tactile sensation; each device consists of 5 calibrated nylon filaments which
deliver specified forces to the skin; minimal force detected determines extent of
pathology present based on normal values (Source: Mfg
Connecticut Bioinstruments, Inc., brochures).
Weir wedges: (Plastic
Surgery/ENT)
Weis chalazion forceps:
(Instrument)
Weise pattern / markings ?
Weisman-Graves vaginal
speculum: (Instrument)
Weiss Hospital: (Place) located
in Chicago, IL
Weiss spring: used
in spinal fusion
Weitlaner retractor: (Neuro)
Welch Allyn hand-held spirometer: (Resp/Equip) name brand.
WelChol: (Rx)
generic = colesevelam HCI; lipid lowering agent,
formerly called “Cholestagel” (FDA 2000).
Wellferon: (Rx) lymphoblastoid interferon alfa-n1; drug used for
AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma and hairy cell leukemia, as well as chronic
hepatitis C in adults (FDA 1999).
well leg cast: (Ortho) supports well leg
during arthroscopy.
Wellness Formula
vitamins: OTC brand for overall health.
Wells forceps: (Instrument)
Wells-Gardner tongs: (Instrument)
Wenckebach
phenomenon: (Cardio) progressive lengthening in conduction
time of any cardiac tissue.
Werb rhinostomy
scissors: (Instrument)
Werdnig-Hoffman
disease: spinal muscular atrophy
Wernicke aphasia: (Speech) receptive
aphasia
Wernicke-Korsakoff
syndrome: (Neuro) brain disorder caused by thiamine deficiency
and/or alcohol use.
West and Soto-Hall
procedure: knee
WEST-hand /
WEST-foot: see Weinstein enhanced sensory test above.
West syndrome: encephalopathy with infantile spasms and hypoarrhythmic
EEG pattern
Westaby stent: tracheobronchial
Westcort cream: (Rx/Derm)
Rx topical cream for skin conditions
Westcott scissors: (Instrument/Ophth)
Western Blot test: (Lab)
for diagnosis of Lyme disease (confirmed on laboratory websites)
wet field cautery: (Ophth) eye
surgery
“wet
reading”: (Slang) a phrase meaning when a request for immediate
interpretation of an x-ray is made.
wet-to-dry dressing: Style Note: Use hyphens as shown here; applied wet
and allowed to dry before it is removed.
wet rales: (Pulm)
effusion, fluid.
wet voice: gurgly, due to pharyngeal paresis
Wexler retractor: (Instrument)
whack, out of: phrase/slang meaning not functioning correctly
wheal: (Derm) irregular raised papule, may be reddened,
usually with intense itching.
wheal-and-flare reaction: medical phrase referring to an allergic reaction,
immediate reaction after injection of skin test allergen; raised papule with
erythema.
Wheeler knife: (Instrument/Ophth)
Whipple disease:
(GI)
Whipple procedure /
operation: (GI) pancreatoduodenectomy.
whipstitch sutures
whispered/ whispering pectoriloquy: (Pulm) transmission of
whispered voice sounds through the lung structures, audible on auscultation of
the chest
whistle-tip Foley catheter:
catheter
with opening at end and side.
Whitaker multivitamins: for
cardiac health (http://www.drwhitaker.com/
)
Whitcomb-Kerrison punch:
(Instrument)
white coat hypertension: (Cardio) a
phrase meaning elevated blood pressure only in the doctor’s office.
white clot syndrome: (Hem) heparin-induced thrombosis/thrombocytopenia syndrome.
white line of Toldt:
(Anatomy) fascial line in
pelvis
White procedure: (Ortho) to
shorten femur
White-Lillie
forceps: (Instrument)
White, Ryan Title IIIb
Grant: federal funding for HIV/AIDS research programs.
white strawberry tongue: (Condition) seen in the early stages of scarlet
fever; tongue surface is coated white with the papillae coming through as
bright red (Note-see also “strawberry tongue”).
Whiting mastoid
curet: (Instrument)
Whitman frame: (Device)
for spine extension
Whitman procedure: (Neuro) for long thoracic nerve palsy
Whitnall ligament: (Anatomy)
eye
Whittlestone Physiologic Breastmilker: (Device) a breast pump, more physiologic than other brands
(2000).
WHO: wrist-hand
orthosis
whorl-shaped deposits: (Ophth) on the cornea
Wibi: (Derm) a greaseless lotion for dry skin.
wick catheter technique:
pressure measurement
Wickstrom arthrodesis: wrist
wide (or narrow) QRS complex tachycardia: (Cardio) EKG
finding
Wiener-Pierce
trocar: (Instrument)
Wigderson ribbon retractor:
(Instrument/Neuro)
Wilde-Blakesley
forceps: (Instrument)
Williams exercises: (Ortho)
Style Note: no apostrophe in Williams; for low back, flexion exercises.
Williams intestinal forceps:
(Instrument)
Williams orthosis: lumbosacral
Williams syndrome: genetic
disorder, characteristic facial features, puffy eyes, wide mouth, turned up
nose; very social, sensitive hearing, developmental delays, ADD, etc., see www.williams-syndrome.org for more
information).
Willis, circle of: (Anatomy)
arterial circle of cerebrum
Wills Hospital
Ophthalmology forceps: (Instrument)
Willy Meyer
incision: (Surgery) used in breast surgery
Wilmer iris
retractor: (Instrument)
Wilms tumor: (Onc) Style Note: no apostrophe; malignant tumor of young
children; nephroblastoma.
Wilson-Cook wire-guided sphinctertome: (Instrument)
Wilson, John C.,
arthrodesis: (Ortho) for hip fusion
Wilson test: (Ortho) to assess knee
Wilson and Jones
procedure: (Ortho) of lower limb
Wilson and McKeever
procedure: (Ortho) shoulder
Wiltberger spreader: (Instrument)
Wiltse pedicle
screw: for spine surgery.
Winberger line: metaphysis
infarction, on x-ray
Wincor enucleation
scissors: (Instrument)
window period: a
phrase meaning a period of time for opportunity to intervene in a disease,
injury, condition, etc; as in visualizing an actual
window is open and is in the process of shutting, opportunity for intervention
is only available until the “window” shuts.
windowing: soft tissue, bone, CT scan finding.
window, antral: (ENT) sinus surgery
windshield wiper sign: on x-ray, may indicate loose internal prosthesis.
wine bottle sign: on AP neck x-ray, an elongated area of tracheal
narrowing.
winged scapula
Wingfield frame: (Device) used in hip
reduction
Winkelman hydrocele
repair
Winograd procedure: for
ingrown nail
Winsbury-White retractor:
(Instrument)
Winscan system: (Lab) imaging system for identification and
enumeration of nucleated red blood cells from peripheral blood (1998).
winter eczema: (Derm) also called asteatotic eczema
wires: some names and types of wires include: cerclage, figure-of-eight, Glidewire, guide
wire (2 words), Kirschner or K-wire, Wizdom steerable
guide wire.
Wirt test: (Ophth)
eye acuity testing
Wisconsin Partnership Program: (Social
Services) county program through
Eldercare and Dane County to provide medical and social needs to elderly over
age 55 and developmental disabilities ages 18-64, in home and community-based
sites; Medical Director, Lora Wiggins, MD (2004).
Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line: (State
Program) service to provide support for people going through smoking cessation
process; phone number is 1-877-270-STOP, and for more info go to www.CRTI.wisc.edu , then click on “Quit
Line”; sponsored by UW Center for Tobacco Research & Intervention, funded
in part by the tobacco lawsuit settlement money received from the tobacco
companies.
WISE study: (Research) women’s
ischemia syndrome evaluation; cardio study of heart disease in women.
Wise areola
mastopexy: (Plastic Surgery) breast augmentation procedure, also
called WAMBA (HPI 2001).
Wiseguide catheter: (Equip) for vascular access (AAMT
2001)
wishbone retractor: (Instrument)
Wisorb malleolar screw:
(Equip)
primarily used for internal fixation of
fractures.
WIT procedure: (Uro) water-induced thermotherapy; treatment of benign
prostatic hyperplasia; done as an outpatient (MT Desk 1999).
Wittner cervical punch: (Instrument)
Witzel jejunostomy,
duodenostomy: (GI)
wobble board: (PT/Rehab) device used for retraining of balance and
stability; a flat disc sitting on a half ball, patients stand on it and try to
remain steady; also called a “rocker board”
Wobenzym: (Homeopathy) natural
drug, anti-inflammatory contains enzymes and antioxidants.
Wolf procedure: (Pod) for
plantar callosity
Wolf arthroscope: (Equip)
Wolfe eye forceps: (Instrument)
Wolfe uterine cuff
forceps: (Instrument)
WOMAC index: (Ortho) WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index, WOMAC pain
score;
WomanCare Clinic: (Place) Located at
Barbara
J O’Connell, MD, and Mary Bina-Frymark, NP.
Wong Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale: Uses a scale from 0 to 5, visually observing patient
and literally matching the amount of grimace on their face as compared to Wong’s pictures scale.
wont: (English) meaning accustomed to (i.e., “He was wont
to arise at dawn”, or “sutures we are
wont to use in Plastic Surgery…”)
Woodruff plexus: (Anatomy)
nasopalatine area.
Wood lamp: (Derm)
ultraviolet light, used for diagnostic purposes (dictators will often call it Wood’s, follow the style guide apostrophe rule).
Woods maneuver: (
Woods tonsil
scissors: (Instrument)
Woodson spatula: (Instrument)
Woodward hemostatic
forceps: (Instrument)
Woodward procedure: (Ortho) scapular
asymmetry correction, aka Sprengel deformity.
“woozy”: a
slang term used to describe a feeling of dizziness or lightheadedness.
workers’ compensation:
Note: This is not capitalized
unless talking about a specific department /act, etc.
Worst medallion
lens: Style Note: capitalize
Worth 4-dot Test: (Ophth) eye
test
Worth strabismus
forceps: (Instrument)
Wound Stick: brand
name system for measuring and marking size and depth of wound (2002, MT Desk).
woven bone: characteristic of the embryonal skeleton, bony
tissue/collagen forming a network structure.
woven bovine collagen:
for
tissue augmentation.
W-plasty: plastic surgery technique.
wrack: to cause great physical or
mental suffering or pain.
wraparound splint: (Ortho) for wrists and
hands, repetitive motion stress reduction.
Wratten #47 filter: photographic lens.
wreak havoc: a phrase meaning to cause chaos, confusion, trouble,
problems, etc.
wretch: meaning an unfortunate person (Note: retch means
trying to vomit)
Wrightlock posterior
fixation system: brand name spinal fixation system (2002, MT Desk).
Wright tonsil snare: (Instrument)
Wright Universal
brace: (Device)
Wright-Crawford
needle: (Instrument)
Wristaleve: (Ortho/Neuro) trademarked corrective wrist support for carpal tunnel syndrome
symptoms (1999, MT Desk).
writhe / writhing: (verb) meaning to twist the body about, squirm, usually
in pain.
Wurd catheter: (OB/GYN)
Wutzer hernia ?
Wutzler circumcision scissors: (Instrument)
WWWHSP: acronym for Wisconsin Well Woman Health Screening
Program (see above)
WWWP: acronym for Wisconsin Well Woman Program (see above)