Medical glossary — Prof. Ali Tüzün İnce, MD

Abdomen: The part of the body between the rib cage and the hips.
Abdominal migraine: A disorder seen chiefly in children, running with recurrent attacks of midline abdominal pain without an evident organ disease; nausea, vomiting and pallor may go with it.
Absorption: The taking up of digested food through the wall of the bowel.
Achalasia: An uncommon condition in which the muscles at the lower end of the oesophagus (the gullet) do not relax enough, so that food collects in the gullet; it runs its course with painful swallowing and vomiting.
Achlorhydria: The absence of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice.
Activated charcoal: A natural remedy that relieves wind.
Acute: Short-lived, of sudden and severe onset.
Acute cholangitis: Infection of the bile ducts, usually arising from an obstruction to bile flow, which may require urgent treatment.
Aerophagia: Swallowing air.
Alagille syndrome: A condition seen in newborn babies in which the bile ducts inside the liver are absent or too few.
Allergy: A state in which the body cannot tolerate certain foods or drugs.
ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; an enzyme found particularly in the bile ducts, in bone and in some other tissues.
ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; an enzyme found in high concentrations in liver cells. When liver cells are damaged it can pass into the blood and rise.
Amino acids: The basic building blocks of proteins.
Amoebiasis: A microscopic parasite that settles in the bowel and causes bloody diarrhoea.
Amylase: An enzyme involved in the digestion of carbohydrates. It is produced mainly by the pancreas and the salivary glands.
Anaemia Anemia: A shortage of blood.
Anal fissure: A tear in the skin and/or the muscle layer at the back passage.
Anal fistula: A track that develops between the anus and the skin.
Anastomosis: The procedure of joining two organs of the body together mouth to mouth.
Angiodysplasia: Abnormal blood vessels developing in the gastrointestinal tract.
Angiodysplasia: A vascular abnormality in which the small vessels in the wall of the digestive tract become widened and fragile, and which can cause bleeding.
Angiography: Imaging of the vascular system.
Anorectal atresia: Failure of the back passage to develop, present from birth.
Anoscopy: Examination of the anus with a lit instrument.
Antacids: Drugs that neutralise stomach acid.
Anti-HCV: Antibodies produced by the immune system against the hepatitis C virus. Their presence in the blood shows that the person may have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus.
Anticholinergics: Drugs that relax muscles in spasm in the gastrointestinal tract.
Antidiarrhoeals: Drugs that stop diarrhoea.
Antiemetics: Drugs that prevent nausea.
Antispasmodics: Muscle-relaxing drugs.
Antral gastritis: Changes consistent with gastritis seen particularly in the antrum of the stomach.
Antrectomy: The operation of removing the antrum of the stomach.
Antrum: The lower part of the stomach, close to the outlet.
Appendicectomy Appendectomy: The operation of removing the appendix.
Appendicitis: Inflammation of the appendix.
Appendix: The blind-ending pouch at the start of the large bowel.
Argon plasma coagulation: Controlled coagulation of widened superficial vessels through the endoscope.
Ascending colon: The ascending part of the bowel.
Ascites: A collection of fluid in the abdomen.
Ascites: A collection of more fluid than normal in the abdominal cavity.
AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; found in the liver but less specific to it than ALT. It is also present in muscle, in the heart and in red blood cells.
Asymptomatic: Having no complaints.
Atonic colon: Loss of contractile strength in the muscles of the bowel.
Atresia: The absence of an opening from one organ into another.
Atrophic gastritis: A state in which the glands and cells of the stomach lining are reduced.
Autoimmune hepatitis: A state in which the body's immune system does damage in the liver.
Barium: The radio-opaque substance used for X-rays of the stomach and colon.
Barium enema: Examination of the lower gastrointestinal tract by giving barium as an enema.
Barrett oesophagus: The change of the normal squamous epithelium of the lower oesophagus into intestinal-type epithelium, related to long-standing reflux. The diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy and some patients need follow-up.
Bernstein test: A test showing the presence of acid in the gullet, used to investigate the cause of reflux.
Bezoar: The name for foreign bodies that should not be in the stomach, such as hair, fur and plant fibre.
Bile: The substance produced by the liver, collected and concentrated in the gall bladder, that contributes to digestion.
Bile acid: One of the substances that make up bile.
Bile ducts: The ducts that carry bile inside and outside the liver.
Biliary atresia: A failure of development in the gall bladder and bile ducts.
Biliary dyskinesia: A disturbance in the working of the gall bladder.
Biliary stricture: Narrowing of the bile ducts.
Biliary system: The structure formed by the gall bladder and the bile ducts.
Biliary tract: The structure formed by the gall bladder and the bile ducts.
Biliary tree: The bile ducts.
Bilirubin: The pigment that gives bile its colour, produced by the breakdown of haemoglobin.
Biopsy: When the doctor takes a small tissue sample during gastroscopy or colonoscopy. The sample is examined under the microscope in the pathology laboratory.
Bismuth subsalicylate: A drug used in the treatment of diarrhoea, heartburn and nausea.
Borborygmi: Rumbling of the bowel.
Budd–Chiari syndrome: Liver disease developing from obstruction of the hepatic vein.
Caecostomy Cecostomy: Bringing the open end of the bowel temporarily out to the skin after the bowel has been divided at operation, so that the part left behind can recover.
Caecum Cecum: The pouch at the start of the large bowel, into which the appendix opens. A colonoscopy is only considered complete once the caecum has been reached.
Calcification: Denotes a deposit of calcium in a tissue.
Calprotectin: A protein found in large amounts particularly in the inflammatory cells called neutrophils.
Campylobacter pylori: The former name of Helicobacter pylori, the stomach bacterium that causes gastritis and ulcer.
Candidiasis: A condition caused by fungi.
Carbohydrates: The basic building blocks of grains and sugars.
Caroli's disease: A condition arising from widening of the bile ducts present from birth, running its course with infection and the formation of stones.
Cathartics: Drugs that soften the stool.
Catheter: A flexible tube that carries fluid out of the body.
Chlorhydria: A state in which there is too much hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
Cholangiography: Imaging of the bile ducts.
Cholangitis: Infection of the bile ducts.
Cholecystectomy: The operation of removing the gall bladder.
Cholecystitis: Inflammation of the gallbladder, usually developing when a gallstone blocks its duct.
Cholecystography: Radiological examination of the gall bladder.
Cholecystokinin: The hormone that causes the gall bladder to contract.
Choledocholithiasis: A stone in the bile ducts.
Cholelithiasis: A stone in the gall bladder.
Cholestasis: A state in which bile cannot flow into the bowel.
Cholesterol: A natural fat-like substance.
Chronic: Long-lasting.
Cirrhosis: Liver failure.
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile): A bacterium normally present in the bowel which, after treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics, causes the illness of diarrhoea called pseudomembranous enterocolitis.
Coeliac disease Celiac disease: A condition running its course with malabsorption of food, arising from allergy to the proteins in grain.
Colic: Abdominal pain coming and going in spasms.
Colitis: Inflammation of the bowel.
Collagenous colitis: A kind of colitis marked by a layer of collagen in the wall of the bowel.
Colon: The large bowel.
Colon polyps: Polyps arising inside the bowel.
Colonic inertia: A state running its course with sluggishness of the muscles of the bowel.
Colonoscopic polypectomy: Removing a polyp from inside the bowel at colonoscopy.
Colonoscopy: Endoscopic examination of the large bowel.
Colorectal cancer: Cancer developing in the large bowel.
Colostomy: Bringing the open end of the bowel temporarily out to the skin after the bowel has been divided at operation, so that the part left behind can recover.
Common bile duct: The main bile duct, which carries bile — produced in the liver and possibly stored in the gallbladder — to the duodenum.
Computed tomography (CT): An X-ray taken of part of the body in three dimensions.
Constipation: Stool that is hard and passed with straining, from various causes.
Corticosteroids: Hormones with a steroid in their structure.
Crohn's disease: A lifelong condition running its course with chronic inflammation of the small and large bowel.
Cryptosporidia: An organism that causes diarrhoea.
Cystic lesion: Describes a structure that contains mainly fluid.
Defaecation Defecation: Opening the bowels.
Defaecography: A radiological imaging procedure that measures the function of defaecation.
Dehydration: Loss of water and salt.
Dermatitis herpetiformis: The skin sign seen in coeliac disease.
Descending colon: The descending part of the large bowel.
Diaphragm: The sheet of muscle separating the abdominal and chest cavities.
Diarrhoea Diarrhea: Loose or watery stools.
Dietitian: A specialist in nutrition.
Digestion: The whole of the processes that turn foods into substances the body can use.
Digestive system: The system formed by the organs that take part in digestion, from the mouth to the anus.
Dilatation: Means widening.
Distension: Bloating.
Diverticulitis: Infection of a diverticulum.
Diverticulosis: A bowel full of diverticula.
Diverticulum: A finger-shaped pouch pushing outwards from the wall of the bowel.
Dubin–Johnson syndrome: An inherited chronic jaundice syndrome of unknown cause.
Dumping syndrome: A picture developing after stomach operations, running its course with a feeling of faintness and sweating after eating.
Duodenal bulb: The first part of the duodenum, immediately after the stomach.
Duodenal ulcer: An ulcer of the twelve-finger bowel.
Duodenitis: Irritation of the duodenum.
Duodenogastric reflux: The backflow of bile-containing fluid from the duodenum into the stomach; also called bile reflux.
Duodenum: The first part of the small bowel, immediately after the stomach. Its name comes from its length being roughly twelve finger-breadths.
Dysentery: Bloody, griping diarrhoea from the large bowel.
Dyspepsia: Indigestion.
Dysphagia: Difficulty, or a sense of obstruction, as food passes during the swallow.
Dysplasia: A disturbance of the normal structure and arrangement of cells, which in some situations can mean a pre-cancerous change.
Electrocoagulation: Stopping bleeding by passing an electric current through the endoscope.
Electrolytes: The salts and minerals that carry out functions in the body.
Endoscope: The lit instruments with a camera used to examine parts of the body.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP): Examining the bile and pancreatic ducts with an endoscope.
Endoscopic sphincterotomy: Cutting, at ERCP, the muscle shared by the bile duct and the pancreatic duct.
Enema: A method of giving drugs in fluid through the rectum.
Enhancement: Enhancement is when a tissue or lesion becomes more conspicuous on the image after contrast medium has been given, particularly on CT and MRI.
Enteral feeding: Feeding through a tube passed from the mouth into the bowel.
Enteritis: Infection of the bowel.
Enterocoele Enterocele: A hernia of the bowel.
Enteroscopy: Examination of the small bowel by means of an endoscope.
Enterostomy: An opening of the bowel onto the abdominal wall.
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): A kind of blood test.
Epithelium: The surface layer of the digestive tract.
Erosion: Superficial damage to the stomach lining; more superficial than an ulcer.
Erosive gastritis: Redness of the stomach surface together with small superficial defects.
Erythema nodosum: A skin sign of various conditions, running its course with local redness and thickening of the skin.
Escherichia coli: A bacterium that lives in the bowel.
EUS (endoscopic ultrasound): A technique that allows the wall of the digestive tract and the surrounding organs to be examined in detail using an endoscope with an ultrasound probe at its tip.
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL): Breaking up stones in the kidney or gall bladder with sound waves sent from outside the body.
Extrahepatic bile ducts: The bile ducts outside the liver.
Faecal fat test: A test done to establish the cause of the diarrhoea in disorders of fat absorption.
Faecal immunochemical test: A test that looks for haemoglobin in the stool using antibodies raised against human haemoglobin.
Faecal incontinence: Soiling; losing stool.
Faecal occult blood test (FOBT): A test showing the presence of hidden blood in the stool.
Faeces Feces: Stool.
Familial polyposis: A condition in which polyps develop in every member of the family and cancer develops in the large bowel at an early age.
Fatty liver: A state developing from the accumulation of fat in the liver.
Fermentation: The process of fermenting.
Ferritin: Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in the body. The ferritin level in the blood gives important information about the body's iron stores.
Fibre Fiber: Roughage.
Fistula: An abnormal track between two organs.
Fulminant liver failure: The rapid onset of liver failure, within a short time, in someone who was previously well.
Fungus: A mould or yeast.
Galactosaemia: A raised level of galactose in the blood.
Galactose: The sugar of milk.
Gall bladder: The place under the liver where the bile produced by the liver, and certain fluids, are stored.
Gallstone: A stone forming inside the gall bladder.
Gardner's syndrome: A familial condition running its course with multiple polyps in the bowel.
Gas: The air present in the digestive tract. Excess gas may cause bloating, belching or the complaint of passing wind, but it is not the same thing as bloating.
Gastrectomy: An operation on the stomach.
Gastric ulcer: A stomach ulcer.
Gastrin: A hormone secreted by the stomach.
Gastritis: Inflammation of the layers of the stomach.
Gastro-oesophageal junction: The region where the oesophagus joins the stomach.
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD): The condition arising from the reflux of stomach acid into the oesophagus.
Gastroenteritis: A state of inflammation irritating the stomach and the bowels.
Gastroenterologist: A specialist in gastroenterology.
Gastroenterology: The branch of medicine concerned with diseases of the digestive system.
Gastrointestinal: Relating to the digestive system.
Gastroparesis: Delayed emptying of the stomach, running its course with damage to the muscles or the nerves of the stomach.
Gastrostomy: An artificial opening into the stomach through which a feeding tube is passed.
GAVE: Gastric antral vascular ectasia; widening and prominence of the superficial vessels particularly in the antrum of the stomach. Because of its appearance it is also called watermelon stomach.
GGT: Gamma-glutamyl transferase; an enzyme that can rise particularly in conditions involving the liver and the bile ducts.
GI: Gastrointestinal.
Giant cell hypertrophic gastritis: Ménétrier's disease.
Giardiasis: A microscopic parasite that settles in the duodenum and causes diarrhoea.
Gilbert's syndrome: A raised indirect bilirubin arising from the deficiency of an enzyme in the liver.
GIST: A particular group of tumours arising from the wall of the digestive tract, most often in the stomach.
Globus sensation: The feeling of a lump in the throat.
Glucose: Blood sugar.
Gluten: A protein found in wheat.
Gluten intolerance: Coeliac disease.
Gluten-sensitive enteropathy: The picture taking in coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis.
Glycogen: A form of stored sugar found in the body.
Glycogen storage diseases: A group of inherited conditions running their course with the accumulation of glycogen in the body.
GORD: Reflux disease.
Granuloma: The small clumps seen in the bowel in Crohn's disease.
Granulomatous colitis: Crohn's disease.
H2 blockers: The group of drugs that reduce acid in the stomach (Ranitab, Famodin, Ulcoran and the like).
Haemochromatosis Hemochromatosis: A condition running its course with the storage of iron in the body.
Haemolysis: The breakdown of red blood cells faster than normal.
Haemorrhoid Hemorrhoid: Piles; widening of the blood vessels at the back passage.
Haemorrhoidectomy Hemorrhoidectomy: An operation for piles.
HBsAg: Hepatitis B surface antigen, the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus. Finding it in the blood suggests that the hepatitis B virus is present in the body.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori): A bacterium that settles in the stomach and causes ulcer or gastritis.
Hepatic: Relating to the liver.
Hepatic coma: Coma from liver failure.
Hepatic encephalopathy: Disturbance of brain function arising from liver disease.
Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver.
Hepatitis A: A kind of hepatitis seen in childhood.
Hepatitis B: A type of hepatitis passed on mostly through blood and sex, and seen in adults.
Hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg): The immunoglobulin used against the hepatitis B virus.
Hepatitis C: A slow-running type of hepatitis passed on through blood.
Hepatitis D (delta): A type of hepatitis that needs hepatitis B in order to cause disease.
Hepatitis E: A type of hepatitis seen particularly in pregnant women.
Hepatologist: A specialist in liver disease.
Hepatology: The study of liver disease.
Hepatomegaly: An enlarged liver.
Hepatotoxicity: Toxicity to the liver.
Hernia: A rupture.
Herniorrhaphy: An operation for a hernia.
Hiatus hernia: A state in which part of the stomach rises into the chest.
Hill classification: Grading of the flap valve formed by the gastro-oesophageal junction, seen by looking back from inside the stomach during gastroscopy.
Hirschsprung's disease: A state, present from birth or acquired later, in which the nerves of the muscles work out of step so that the muscles contract excessively and food has difficulty passing through.
Hormone: A chemical released by certain organs that acts elsewhere in the body.
Hydrochloric acid: Stomach acid.
Hydrogen breath test: A test for lactose intolerance.
Hyperalimentation: Overfeeding.
Hyperbilirubinaemia: An excessive rise in the level of bilirubin in the blood.
Hyperdense: Means an area that appears denser or brighter than the surrounding structures on CT.
Hyperechoic: Indicates that the area examined reflects more ultrasound than the surrounding tissue and therefore appears brighter on the image.
Hypodense: Describes an area that appears less dense than the surrounding tissue on CT.
Hypoechoic: An area that reflects less ultrasound than the surrounding tissue and appears darker on the image.
IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease.
IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome.
Ileal: Relating to the ileum.
Ileal pouch: An ileoanal reservoir.
Ileoanal anastomosis: (Ileoanal pull-through) The operation of removing the inner layer of the large bowel and the rectum.
Ileocaecal valve Ileocecal valve: Where the small bowel passes into the large bowel.
Ileocolitis: Inflammation of the small and large bowel.
Ileostomy: An opening made from the ileum to the skin of the abdomen, for stool to pass through when the large bowel and rectum have been removed.
Imperforate anus: A closed anus, present from birth, with the inability to pass stool.
Incidental finding: Means a finding picked up by chance during an examination carried out for another reason.
Incontinence: Soiling; being unable to hold stool or urine.
Infectious diarrhoea: Diarrhoea caused by infection.
Inguinal hernia: A hernia in the groin.
INR: A blood test that shows how long blood takes to clot, used particularly in monitoring patients taking warfarin (Coumadin).
Intestinal flora: The population of bacteria found in the bowel that do the body good.
Intestinal metaplasia: When the cells of the stomach lining take on features resembling intestinal cells. It is usually identified on biopsy.
Intestinal pseudo-obstruction: An obstruction that is not really there, running its course with nausea, vomiting and pain.
Intolerance: The inability to tolerate.
Intrinsic factor: A substance produced by the parietal cells of the stomach and required for vitamin B12 to be absorbed from the small intestine.
Intussusception: Obstruction of the bowel arising when it telescopes into itself.
IPMN: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm; a cystic lesion arising from the pancreatic ducts that can produce mucin.
Irritable colon: Spastic colon.
Ischaemia Ischemia: A state of being deprived of blood.
Ischaemic colitis Ischemic colitis: A state arising when the blood flow to the bowel falls or slows.
Jaundice: A symptom of many conditions, marked by yellowing of the eyes, skin and mucous membranes, urine the colour of tea and stools the colour of putty.
Jejunostomy: An opening made from the jejunum to the abdominal wall for enteral feeding.
Jejunum: The middle part of the small bowel.
Kupffer cells: The defensive cells of the liver.
Lactase deficiency: Indigestion arising from a lack of lactase, the enzyme that takes part in digesting milk.
Lactose: The sugar found in milk.
Lactose intolerance: Difficulty in digesting milk.
Lactose tolerance test: A test used for lactase deficiency.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Removal of the gall bladder by laparoscopy.
Laparoscopy: Looking at the organs inside the abdomen and taking samples with a thin, tube-shaped camera passed through the abdominal wall.
Laparotomy: The surgical opening of the abdomen.
Lavage: Washing out the stomach and the colon.
Laxatives: The group of drugs used for constipation.
Lesion: An abnormal or different-looking area noticed in a tissue on an imaging study.
Lipase: An enzyme that helps digest fats; in clinical assessment it is particularly important for conditions involving the pancreas.
Los Angeles classification: A standard system used to grade reflux-related erosive oesophagitis at gastroscopy.
Lower oesophageal sphincter: The sphincter formed by the muscles where the oesophagus passes into the stomach.
Macroamylasaemia: A benign condition that can sometimes cause a persistently raised amylase.
Main pancreatic duct: The main duct into which the small ducts inside the pancreas drain, carrying the secretions to the duodenum; also called the duct of Wirsung.
Malabsorption syndromes: The states that arise when the small bowel is disturbed in its absorption of food.
Mallory–Weiss tear: Tears seen in the lower part of the gullet after forceful vomiting following heavy drinking, seen more often in those who drink.
Malnutrition: A state of nutritional deficiency arising from a diet that is neither adequate nor balanced.
Manometry: A test that measures the contraction strength of the oesophagus and the relaxation of its lower valve. It is decisive in diagnosing achalasia.
Marsh classification: The classification used to grade the changes seen on a coeliac biopsy.
Meckel's diverticulum: A defect present from birth, marked by the formation of a small pouch in the ileum.
Megacolon: A hugely enlarged large bowel.
Melaena Melena: Black, tarry, shiny stool with a distinctive smell, produced when blood from the upper digestive tract is digested. It requires emergency assessment.
Ménétrier's disease: A condition marked by the formation of large, thick folds in the stomach; also called giant cell hypertrophic gastritis.
Mesalazine: A medicine that reduces intestinal inflammation, used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and particularly ulcerative colitis.
Metabolism: The taking up of food by the cells, its conversion into units of energy and its release into the blood vessels.
Motility: The movement of food along the digestive tract.
Motility disorders: Functional disorders.
MRCP: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography; a specialised MRI technique for imaging the bile and pancreatic ducts in detail.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A scan that takes pictures of the soft tissues of the body.
Mucous colitis: Irritable bowel syndrome.
Mucus: The clear, sticky fluid produced in the digestive tract that protects the cells lining it.
Mural nodule: A small projection of tissue seen in the wall of a cyst.
Necrosis: Dead tissue.
Necrotising enterocolitis: A condition running its course with destruction of part of the bowel.
Neonatal hepatitis: A kind of jaundice seen in newborn babies.
Neoplasm: Abnormal growths in the tissues, also called a tumour.
Nissen fundoplication: A kind of operation carried out to repair a hiatus hernia and for reflux.
Nodular gastritis: When the inner surface of the stomach, instead of looking smooth at gastroscopy, has a granular appearance with many small bumps.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: Fatty liver.
Non-erosive reflux disease: Non-erosive reflux disease; reflux without oesophagitis being seen at endoscopy.
Non-tropical sprue: Coeliac disease.
Non-ulcer dyspepsia: A clinical picture running its course with nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, marked by the absence of an ulcer.
Norwalk virus: A kind of virus that causes diarrhoea.
NSAID: The group of medicines — such as ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac — that reduce pain and inflammation but can cause side effects in the stomach and intestines.
Nutcracker oesophagus: A state of abnormally strong muscular contraction in the oesophagus.
Oesophageal atresia Esophageal atresia: Atresia of the oesophagus (the gullet).
Oesophageal manometry Esophageal manometry: A test that measures muscle tone in the oesophagus.
Oesophageal pH monitoring: A test that measures the amount of acid in the oesophagus.
Oesophageal reflux Esophageal reflux: Reflux disease.
Oesophageal stricture Esophageal stricture: Narrowing of the oesophagus.
Oesophageal ulcer Esophageal ulcer: A sore in the oesophagus.
Oesophageal varices Esophageal varices: Widened and knotted blood vessels seen in the oesophagus as a result of the liver working badly.
Oesophagitis Esophagitis: Irritation of the oesophagus.
Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy: Endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal system.
Oesophagus Esophagus: The gullet — the muscular tube, roughly 25 centimetres long, running from the throat to the stomach.
Oral: By mouth.
Ostomy: A type of operation made so that stool can leave through the abdomen.
Paediatric gastroenterologist Pediatric gastroenterologist: A children's gastroenterologist.
Pancreas: A gland behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes, insulin and other hormones.
Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas arising from drinking alcohol or from gallstones.
Pangastritis: Changes consistent with gastritis found more widely in the stomach lining rather than in a single region only.
Papillary stenosis: Narrowing of the shared opening of the bile duct and the pancreas.
Parenteral feeding: Feeding through a vein.
Parietal cells: The cells that produce hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
Pepsin: An enzyme in the stomach that breaks down proteins.
Peptic: Relating to the stomach.
Peptic ulcer: An ulcer (of the stomach, duodenum or oesophagus).
Percutaneous: Through the skin.
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography: Imaging of the bile ducts and the pancreas by injecting radiological contrast through the skin of the abdomen.
Perforated ulcer: A state in which an ulcer has gone on to make a hole through the wall of the stomach.
Perforation: A hole through the wall of an organ. It is a rare but serious complication of endoscopy, presenting with severe pain and fever.
Perianal: Around the anus.
Perineal: Relating to the perineum.
Perineum: The skin between the anus and the sex organs.
Peristalsis: The wave-like movement of the gastrointestinal tract.
Peritoneum: The lining of the abdomen.
Peritonitis: Inflammation of the lining of the abdomen.
Pernicious anaemia: Anaemia arising from a deficiency of vitamin B12.
Pernicious anaemia: One of the important causes of impaired B12 absorption. The immune system produces antibodies against intrinsic factor or against the parietal cells of the stomach, and B12 absorption falls.
Peutz–Jeghers syndrome: An inherited condition marked by many polyps in the gastrointestinal tract and coffee-coloured pigment on the lining of the mouth and on the skin.
Pharynx: The back of the throat.
Polyp: Abnormal growths of the lining arising in the gastrointestinal tract.
Polyposis: A state in which there are many polyps.
Porphyria: A group of inherited blood disorders, which also affect the liver, to do with the pigments that give haemoglobin its colour.
Portal hypertension: A state of high blood pressure in the portal vein.
Portal hypertensive gastropathy: An endoscopic finding caused by widening of the vessels in the stomach lining and altered blood flow, following raised pressure in the portal venous system.
Portal vein: The large vessel carrying digested matter from the stomach and bowels to the liver.
Portosystemic shunt: A state in which the portal vein has connections with other veins.
Post-cholecystectomy syndrome: A state of bloating, vomiting and pain arising after gall bladder operations.
Post-gastrectomy syndrome: (Dumping syndrome) The picture arising after stomach operations.
Post-vagotomy stasis: A state of sluggishness in the stomach arising after the vagus nerve has been divided.
Pouch: An opening that collects stool.
Primary biliary cirrhosis: A chronic liver disease running its course with destruction of the medium and small bile ducts and ending in cirrhosis.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis: A condition running its course with destruction of the bile ducts inside and outside the liver, met with often in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Proctalgia fugax: Severe pain in the rectum, arising uncommonly at night from spasm of the muscles of the anus.
Proctectomy: The operation of removing the rectum.
Proctitis: Irritation of the rectum.
Proctocolectomy: An operation taking in the colon and the rectum.
Proctocolitis: Irritation of the colon and the rectum.
Proctologist: A specialist in disorders of the anus and rectum.
Proctoscope: A short instrument for examining the rectum and the anus.
Proctosigmoiditis: Irritation of the rectum and the sigmoid colon.
Proctosigmoidoscopy: Examination of the rectum and the sigmoid colon.
Progression: Means that a finding has advanced or increased.
Prokinetic drugs: Drugs that help food move along the digestive tract.
Prolapse: A falling down or out of place.
Protein: One of the three main groups of food.
Proton pump inhibitors: Drugs that shut down the acid pump in the stomach (such as Lansor and Nexium).
Prune belly syndrome: A picture marked by the absence of the abdominal muscles in newborn babies, giving the belly the look of a prune; also called Eagle–Barrett syndrome.
Pruritus ani: Itching around the anus.
PSC (primary sclerosing cholangitis): A bile duct disease causing chronic inflammation and narrowing of the bile ducts inside and outside the liver, and damage over time.
Pseudocyst: Not a true cystic tumour; it usually develops after acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis or injury to the pancreas.
Pseudomembranous colitis: The picture produced by the Clostridium difficile bacterium, causing the diarrhoea that develops after antibiotics taken by mouth.
Pyloric sphincter: The sphincter between the stomach and the small bowel.
Pyloric stenosis: Obstruction of the outlet of the stomach.
Pyloroplasty: An operation carried out between the stomach and the small bowel.
Pylorus: The muscular ring between the stomach and the duodenum. It controls the rate at which stomach contents pass into the bowel.
Radiation colitis: The picture arising from damage to the bowel as a result of radiotherapy.
Radiation enteritis: The picture arising from damage to the bowel as a result of radiotherapy.
Radionuclide scan: A test for GI bleeding.
Rectal manometry: A test done with a tube or a balloon to measure the movement and pressure of the muscles of the rectum and the anal sphincter.
Rectal prolapse: A state in which the rectum comes out through the anus.
Rectum: The final section of the large bowel, about 12–15 centimetres long, opening at the anus.
Reflux: The backward flow of stomach acid and contents into the oesophagus.
Regional enteritis: Crohn's disease.
Regurgitation: Flowing back.
Rotavirus: A type of virus that causes diarrhoea, particularly in children under two.
Rupture: A tearing.
SAAG (serum-ascites albumin gradient): The serum-ascites albumin gradient; the difference between the albumin in the blood and in the ascitic fluid. It helps to establish whether the ascites is due to portal hypertension.
Salmonella: The organism that causes typhoid.
Sarcoidosis: A systemic condition forming granulomas in many organs, the liver among them.
SBP (spontaneous bacterial peritonitis): An infection that develops in the ascitic fluid, chiefly in patients with cirrhosis, without any obvious other source of infection inside the abdomen. It can be serious and needs prompt treatment.
Schatzki ring: A ring seen in the lower part of the gullet.
Scintigraphy: A radionuclide imaging test.
Sclerotherapy: A procedure carried out through the endoscope to stop bleeding.
Secretin: A hormone made in the duodenum.
Shigellosis: A clinical picture caused by bacteria, running its course with bloody, griping diarrhoea and fever.
Short bowel syndrome: The clinical picture arising when the small bowel is shortened by operation or other causes, running its course with weight loss, diarrhoea and loss of nutrients.
Sigmoid colon: The S-shaped section of the large bowel just before the rectum. It is where diverticula most commonly form.
Sigmoidoscopy: The instrument that examines the sigmoid colon.
Solid lesion: Indicates that the lesion has the structure of tissue rather than being a simple fluid-filled cyst.
Solitary rectal ulcer: An uncommon type of ulcer in the rectum.
Somatostatin: A hormone produced by the pancreas that stops the secretions of the bowel.
Spasm: Movements of the bowel that cause pain and cramp.
Spastic colon: Irritable bowel syndrome.
Sphincter: A ring of muscle that opens and closes a passage. The lower oesophageal sphincter prevents stomach contents escaping into the oesophagus.
Sphincter of Oddi: The sphincter at the pancreatic and common bile ducts.
Splenic flexure syndrome: A picture arising when gas or air collects in the bowel.
Splenomegaly: An enlarged spleen.
Squamous epithelium: A type of epithelium.
Steatorrhoea Steatorrhea: Fatty diarrhoea.
Steatosis: Fatty liver.
Stoma: An opening.
Stress ulcer: An ulcer developing after major burns, a brain haemorrhage or major surgery.
Stricture: A narrowing.
Subepithelial lesion: When the inner surface of the digestive tract looks normal but a structure lying beneath the mucosa bulges outwards.
Syndrome: A set of clinical signs.
Tenesmus: A painful contraction.
Terminal ileum: The last part of the small intestine. B12 absorption takes place mainly here.
Total parenteral nutrition: Parenteral feeding.
Tracheo-oesophageal fistula: An abnormal channel developing between the oesophagus and the lungs.
Transverse colon: The part of the bowel running between the right and left sides of the abdomen.
Travellers' diarrhoea Travelers' diarrhea: Diarrhoea arising after travelling.
Tropical sprue: A condition of unknown cause, seen in tropical countries, running its course with disturbed absorption in the small bowel.
Tumour marker: Substances whose level in the blood can rise because they are produced by some cancer cells, or as part of the body's response to a disease.
Ulcer: A loss of tissue extending deeper than the mucosa. Unlike an erosion it is deeper and leaves a scar as it heals.
Ulcerative colitis: A lifelong condition affecting the large bowel and the rectum, running its course with remissions and flare-ups.
Upper GI endoscopy: Examination of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum by gastroscopy.
Urea breath test: A test done to identify Helicobacter pylori infection.
Urge incontinence: Leakage that follows a sudden urge which is hard to postpone. For stool: the need to open the bowels is felt, but it cannot be held long enough and is lost before a lavatory is reached. For urine: there is a sudden, strong desire to pass water that is hard to postpone.
Uvula: The small tongue at the back of the throat.
Vagotomy: Division of the vagus nerve.
Vagus nerve: The nerve that controls stomach acid.
Valve: A valve.
Variceal banding: Placing small elastic bands over an oesophageal varix during endoscopy; the blood flow through the varix is cut off and over time it shrinks and disappears.
Varix: Knotted and enlarged blood vessels.
Villous atrophy: When the villi are shortened, flattened or, in advanced cases, lost.
Villus: The microscopic finger-like projections on the inner surface of the small intestine. By enlarging the intestinal surface they help nutrients to be absorbed.
Viral hepatitis: The viruses that have an affinity for the liver and cause jaundice.
Volvulus: An emergency clinical picture, calling for surgery, arising when the bowel twists about its own axis.
Watermelon stomach: Abnormal vessels making stripes like the rind of a melon inside the stomach.
Wilson's disease: An inherited condition running its course with the excessive accumulation of copper in the liver, as a result of abnormal copper metabolism.
Xerostomia: Dryness of the mouth.
Z-line: The border where the squamous lining of the oesophagus meets the columnar lining of the stomach.
Zenker's diverticulum: A pouch forming around the gullet.
Zollinger–Ellison syndrome: A picture produced by a tumour of the pancreas called a gastrinoma, running its course with ulcers abnormal in number and in site, bleeding and perforation.