Glossary

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  • Humby knife

    A cutting blade used to shave off a layer of skin, used in skin grafting.  

  • Gold knife

    A contra-angle knife used to trim a gold filling in a tooth.  

  • Gamma knife

    A radio surgical device first used in 1968 that relies on gamma rays from radioactive cobalt to cut or excise diseased tissue, especially in the brain. The radioactive energy emitted by the knife is focused stereotactically to limit injury to healthy tissue. A surgical instrument designed to concentrate beams of radiation specifically on the head,…

  • Electric knife

    A knife that functions by use of a high-frequency cutting current.  

  • Diamond knife

    A cutting instrument with a very thin, hard mineral edge, used to incise specimens or to perform delicate operations (e.g., on facial skin or the eyes).  

  • Kniest dysplasia

    An autosomal-dominant collagen disorder that causes dwarfism. Findings include a short trunk, prominent and stiff joints, flattened face, eye abnormalities, deafness, inguinal hernias, hip dislocation, cleft palate, and talipes-equinovarus. Patients develop severe dorsal kyphosis or kyphoscoliosis and lumbar lordosis.  

  • Knemometry

    A precise method of determining the length of a limb, especially the lower leg. It has been used to assess infant and childhood growth and development (e.g., in premature infants or children treated with corticosteroids).  

  • Kneeling bus

    A specially designed bus to transport the elderly and disabled. The front of the bus can be lowered to facilitate getting on and off. A ramp or lift is usually provided to facilitate wheelchair access.  

  • Replacement of knee

    Orthopedic implantation of a prosthetic knee joint, particularly useful in treating patients with severe disabling arthritis of the knee.  

  • Posterolateral corner knee

    The ligamentous, capsular, and muscular structures that stabilize the knee against varus, external rotation, and anterior/ posterior forces. Disruption of these structures can result in posterolateral rotary instability of the knee.  

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