Glossary
F
F
FACET
- a flat, platelike surface that acts as part of a joint; as seen
in the vertebrae of the spine and in the subtalar joint of the ankle.
Each vertebra has two superior and two inferior facets.
Facet
Arthropathy - a degenerative disease affecting the facet joint.
FACECTOMY
- Excision of an articular facet of a vertebra.
FACET
TROPISM - Asymmetrical orientation of the facets comparing right
to left side.
FAILURE
of SEGMENTATION - Failure of a portion or all of two or more adjoining
vertebrae to separate into normal units.
FALX
(CEREBRI) - An extension of dura between the right and left hemispheres
of the brain.
FATIGUE
- That state, following a period of mental or bodily activity; characterized
by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment,
usually accompained by a feeling of weariness, sleepiness, or irritability.
FATIGUE
FRACTURE - A fracture that occurs in bone or in other materials.
Including metal, as a result of repeated stress as opposed to a
single injury.
FENESTRATION
(of cyst) - Surgical creation of window-like opening.
FIBROSIS
- The replacement of normal tissue with scar tissue.
FIBROMYOSITIS
- Chronic inflammation of a muscle with an overgrowth, or hyperplasia,
of the connective tissue.
FISSURE
- A groove or natural division, deep furrow in the brain.
FLATTENING
of NORMAL LUMBAR CURVE - Condition in which the hollow of the back
becomes shallow or even stright.
FLEXION
- The act of flexing or bending; bending of a joint so as to approximate
the parts it connects.
FONTANELLE
- Normal openings in the skull of infants; the largest of these
is the anterior fontanel or "soft spot" in the middle of the head.
FOOD
AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) - The Federal government agency that
has regulatory authority over the manufacture, distribution, and
labeling of drugs, medical devices, and foods.
FONTANELLES
- "Soft spots" of the infant's head, normal unossified areas in
the infant skull.
FORAMEN
- A natural opening or passage in bone. An opening allowing for
the egress of spinal nerve roots from between two vertebrae.
FORAMINOTOMY
- Surgical opening or enlargement of the bony opening traversed
by a nerve root as it leaves the spinal canal. A procedure carried
out alone or in conjunction with disc surgery.
FRACTURE
- A disruption of the normal continuity of bone.
FRACTURE-DISLOCATION
- Fracture of a bone that is also dislocated from its normal position
in a joint.
FUNCTIONAL
SCOLIOSIS - Any scoliosis that is caused by leg length or other
functional disorder and not by a primary curvature of the spine.
FUNCTIONAL
STEREOTACTIC NEUROSURGERY - Surgery intended to improve the function
of the central nervous system. A stereotactic head frame is used
along with imaging techniques to map the brain and localize the
surgical target.
FUSIFORM
ANEURYSM - A sausage-like enlargement of the vessel
FUSION
- Union or healing of bone (see Arthrodesis).
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