Anesthesia: Loss of feeling or awareness. A general anesthetic puts the person to sleep. A local anesthetic causes loss of feeling in a part of the body such as a tooth or an area of skin without affecting consciousness. Regional anesthesia numbs a larger part of the body such as a leg or arm, also without affecting consciousness. The term "conduction anesthesia" encompasses both local and regional anesthetic techniques. Many surgical procedures can be done with conduction anesthesia without significant pain. In many situations, such as a C-section, conduction anesthesia is safer and therefore preferable to general anesthesia. However, there are also many types of surgery in which general anesthesia is clearly appropriate.
Anus: The opening of the rectum to the outside of the body. See the entire definition of Anus
Benign: Not cancer. Not malignant. A benign tumor does not invade surrounding tissue or spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor may grow but it stays put (in the same place). See the entire definition of Benign
Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is produced primarily by the contraction of the heart muscle. It's measurement is recorded by two numbers. The first (systolic pressure) is measured after the heart contracts and is highest. The second (diastolic pressure) is measured before the heart contracts and lowest. A blood pressure cuff is used to measure the pressure. Elevation of blood pressure is called "hypertension".
Bowel: Another name for the intestine. The small bowel and the large bowel are the small intestine and large intestine, respectively. See the entire definition of Bowel
Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in some cases, to metastasize (spread). See the entire definition of Cancer
Colon: The part of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum as a long hollow tube that serves to remove water from digested food and let the remaining material, solid waste called stool, move through it to the rectum and leave the body through the anus. . See the entire definition of Colon
Colonoscope: A flexible, lighted instrument used to view the inside of the colon.
Colonoscopy: A procedure in which a long flexible viewing tube (a colonoscope) is threaded up through the rectum for the purpose of inspecting the entire colon and rectum and, if there is an abnormality, taking a biopsy of it or removing it. The colonoscopy procedure requires a thorough bowel cleansing to assure a clear view of the lining. Called also coloscopy.
Colorectal: Related to the colon and/or rectum.
Colorectal cancer:Cancer of the colon and rectum. A malignant tumor arising from the inner wall of the large intestine. Risk factors include heredity, colon polyps, and long standing ulcerative colitis. Most colorectal cancers develop from polyps. Removal of colon polyps can prevent colorectal cancer. Since colon polyps and early cancer can have no symptoms, regular screening is important. Diagnosis can be made by barium enema or by colonoscopy with biopsy confirmation of cancer tissue. Surgery is the most common treatment for colorectal cancer.
CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a computer that takes the data from multiple X-ray images and turns them into pictures on a screen. CT stands for computerized tomography. See the entire definition of CT scan
Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. It is positioned in the chest behind the sternum (breastbone; in front of the trachea, esophagus, and aorta; and above the diaphragm muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavities. The normal heart is about the size of a closed fist, and weighs about 10.5 ounces. It is cone-shaped, with the point of the cone pointing down to the left. Two-thirds of the heart lies in the left side of the chest with the balance in the right chest. See the entire definition of Heart
Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen which clear "poisons" from the blood, regulate acid concentration and maintain water balance in the body by excreting urine. The kidneys are part of the urinary tract. The urine then passes through connecting tubes called "ureters" into the bladder. The bladder stores the urine until it is released during urination.
Liver: An organ in the upper abdomen that aids in digestion and removes waste products and worn-out cells from the blood. The liver is the largest solid organ in the body. The liver weighs about three and a half pounds (1.6 kilograms). It measures about 8 inches (20 cm) horizontally (across) and 6.5 inches (17 cm) vertically (down) and is 4.5 inches (12 cm) thick.
New England Journal of Medicine: Despite its regional name, The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is far from provincial. It is an eminent weekly national and international general medical journal, devoted to no single specialty, but to all of medicine. The Journal is published by the Massachusetts Medical Society and is closely associated with the medical schools (Boston University, Harvard and Tufts) in the Boston area. See the entire definition of New England Journal of Medicine
Oxygen: A colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that makes up about 20% of the air we breathe (and at least half the weight of the entire solid crust of the earth) and which combines with most of the other elements to form oxides. Oxygen is essential to human, animal and plant life. See the entire definition of Oxygen
Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors. See the entire definition of Pain
Radiation:1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy waves often used in medicine. 2. The use of energy waves to diagnose or treat disease. See also: Irradiation.
Rectum: The last 6 to 8 inches of the large intestine. The rectum stores solid waste until it leaves the body through the anus. The word rectum comes from the Latin rectus meaning straight (which the human rectum is not).
Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of the body by gathering information with a sensing device. See the entire definition of Scan
Virtual colonoscopy: A method for examining the colon by taking a series of x-rays and then using a computer to reconstruct three-dimensional pictures (a CT scan) of the interior surfaces of the colon from these x-rays. The pictures can be saved, manipulated to better viewing angles, and reviewed after the procedure. The procedure requires a 48-hour low-fiber diet and a complete bowel cleansing. If something suspicious is noted, a regular colonoscopy is needed to biopsy or remove it. Virtual colonoscopy results in about 15% false positives (misleading readings that unnecessarily require a regular colonoscopy). It is also not yet known whether virtual colonoscopy can reliably detect flat adenomas which, like polyps, can give rise to colon cancer. Also called computed tomography or CT colography.
X-ray:1. High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-rays possess the properties of penetrating most substances (to varying extents), of acting on a photographic film or plate (permitting radiography), and of causing a fluorescent screen to give off light (permitting fluoroscopy). In low doses X-rays are used for making images that help to diagnose disease, and in high doses to treat cancer. Formerly called a Roentgen ray. 2. An image obtained by means of X-rays.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Rectal bleeding (hematochezia) refers to the passage of bright red blood from the anus. Rectal bleeding may be moderate to severe and most bleeding comes from the colon, rectum, or anus. Common causes include anal fissures, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, and more.
Colon cancer is a malignancy that arises from the inner lining of the colon. Most, if not all, of these cancers develop from colonic polyps. Removal of these precancerous polyps can prevent colon cancer.
A colon polyp is a benign tumor of the large intestine. Benign polyps do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. Benign polyps can easily be removed during colonoscopy and are not life threatening. If benign polyps are not removed from the large intestine, they can become malignant over time.
Disease prevention in men includes routine screening tests that are part of basic prevention medicine. Take an active role in your own health care and discuss screening tests with your doctor early in life. Age of screening and timing of screening depends upon the condition being assessed.
Routine screening tests are part of basic prevention medicine. All of the
following screening tests are commonly available through your doctor. Take an active role
in your own health care and discuss screening tests with your doctor early in
life. Following is a list of diseases for which screening is recommended along
with mention of the commonly used screening tests, which usually are safe and
simple and can help detect many diseases before they become harmful.
High blood pressure (hypertension)
About one-sixth of all Americans have
high blood pressure and the incidence
of this disease increases with age. African-Americans are more likely than other
races to have high blood pressure.
High blood pressure can cause arterial disease (atherosclerosis) that can
lead to heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure.
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