Category: K

An enzyme that hydrolyzes the protein keratin.  

Inflammatory cells of the iris and ciliary body that enter the aqueous and adhere to the corneal endothelium. These precipitates are present in uveitis.  

Accessory conduction fiber bundles in the heart which rapidly convey atrial impulses across the atrioventricular tissue. They are usually present in the Wolff-Parkinson- White syndrome.  

A vest-type immobilizer designed to limit movement of the cervical and thoracic spine in seated patients with suspected spinal cord injuries.  

The temperature scale in which absolute zero is equal to minus 273° on the Celsius scale. On the Kelvin scale the freezing point of water is 273°K, and the boiling point 373°K.  

An operation for strangulated hernia through tissues of the constricting neck.  

One of the human blood groups. It is composed of three forms of antigens present on the surface of the red blood cells.  

Pain that radiates into the shoulder during respiration. The sign points to a diaphragmatic or peridiaphragmatic lesion, and when it involves the left shoulder, is considered an indication of splenic rupture.  

A colloquialism for a three-dimensional image of an unborn child visualized in the womb with ultrasonography treated as a memento. The image is kept by expectant parents as part of a scrapbook of pregnancy and anticipated childbirth.  

In radiography, the sharp increase in characteristic x-ray production resulting when the incoming x-ray beam matches the K-shell-binding energy of an atom. K-edge production can cause problems in predicting radiation exposure; i.e., when kilovolts peak is decreased and the K-edge is matched by the incoming x-ray photons, image density may increase.