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Clinical assessment and procedures

5,159 articles

Abdominal ultrasound

Abdominal ultrasound is a diagnostic imaging method using high-frequency sound waves through the abdominal wall to visualize organs such as the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, and aorta, first described clinically in 1958.

Abdominal wall hernia repair

Abdominal wall hernia repair is surgery to close a hernia defect, usually with mesh, using open techniques like the Lichtenstein repair or laparoscopic TAPP and TEP approaches.

Abdominal Wound Closure Techniques

Abdominal wound closure techniques cover suture methods and materials for laparotomy closure. Key standard: continuous small-bites aponeurotic closure with slowly absorbable monofilament suture, 4:1 suture-to-wound ratio, reducing incisional hernia versus large bites.

Abdominoperineal resection

Abdominoperineal resection is an operation for low rectal cancer that removes the rectum, anal sphincters, and anus through abdominal and perineal incisions, leaving a permanent colostomy.

Abdominoplasty

Abdominoplasty, commonly called a tummy tuck, is a surgical procedure that removes excess abdominal fat and skin and restores weakened abdominal wall muscles for a firmer profile.

Aberrometry

Aberrometry is an optical diagnostic technique that measures the wavefront aberrations of the eye, used to plan wavefront-guided laser surgery, select intraocular lenses, and diagnose corneal disease.

ABILITY trial

ABILITY Diabetes Global (NCT04236609): 3,032-patient randomized trial comparing the Abluminus DES+ sirolimus-eluting stent with the XIENCE everolimus-eluting stent in diabetic PCI patients; the sirolimus stent failed noninferiority for target-lesion revascularization and failure at 12 months.

Ablation Techniques

Ablation techniques are medical procedures that destroy targeted tissue using heat, extreme cold, chemicals, or lasers instead of surgical excision, in treatments such as radiofrequency and cryoablation of cardiac arrhythmias and tumors.

Ablative radiotherapy

Ablative radiotherapy, known as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or SABR, delivers a high radiation dose to a tumor in one to a few sessions, aiming to destroy it completely.

Abnormal bowel sounds

Abnormal bowel sounds, also called hypoactive, hyperactive, or absent bowel sounds, are altered intestinal noises on auscultation, linked to obstruction, ileus, and necrosis risk; human assessment is inaccurate while computerized analysis shows promise for IBS.

Abnormal coagulation profile

Abnormal coagulation profile (ICD-11 MA18.3) is a clinical finding of abnormal clotting tests, chiefly prolonged PT/INR, aPTT, low fibrinogen, or abnormal platelet count, reflecting factor deficiencies, inhibitors, liver disease, vitamin K deficiency, DIC, or anticoagulants.

Abnormal findings on neonatal screening

Abnormal findings on neonatal screening (ICD-11 MG71.0) are out-of-range newborn screening results indicating a baby might have a screened condition. They require prompt diagnostic follow-up; most are false positives, with about 12,500 U.S. diagnoses yearly among 4 million screened.

Abnormal glucose tolerance test

Abnormal glucose tolerance test: an OGTT result above defined thresholds (2-h PG 140–199 mg/dL = IGT, ≥200 mg/dL = diabetes; pregnancy-specific one-step 75-g or two-step 100-g criteria for gestational diabetes).

Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale

The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) is a 12-item clinician-rated scale scoring the severity of abnormal involuntary movements, chiefly tardive dyskinesia, in patients taking antipsychotic medications.

Abnormal level of blood mineral

Abnormal level of blood mineral, ICD-11 code MA18.1, is a clinical finding of abnormally high or low blood mineral (cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, zinc) levels, excluding neonatal hypomagnesaemia and nutritional mineral deficiency.

Abnormal Reflex (procedure)

Abnormal reflex: a neurological examination finding and procedure covering increased, decreased, or absent reflexes (hyperreflexia, hyporeflexia), graded on scales such as Mayo and NINDS, indicating upper or lower motor neuron lesions.

Abnormal serum enzyme levels

Abnormal serum enzyme levels: an ICD-11 Chapter 21 clinical finding of enzyme activity outside reference intervals, chiefly liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP), pancreatic amylase and lipase, CK, and AST/LDH, signaling tissue injury or disease.

Abnormal sputum

Abnormal sputum (ICD-11 MD10; ICD-10-CM R09.3) is a clinical sign of altered sputum quantity, color, consistency, or odor suggesting respiratory disease, distinguished from blood-stained sputum and hemoptysis.

ABOARD study

ABOARD study (NCT06635993): multicenter prospective diagnostic trial testing 68Ga-Pentixafor CXCR4 PET/CT versus adrenal vein sampling for subtyping primary aldosteronism with autonomous cortisol secretion; sponsor Qifu Li, started August 2024, recruiting.

Above-knee amputation

Above-knee amputation, also called transfemoral amputation, is an operation that removes the leg by cutting the femur above the knee, most often for diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or trauma.

Abraham Jacobi

Abraham Jacobi (1830–1919) was a German-born American physician, a political refugee of 1848, known as the father of American pediatrics for founding its first chair, clinic, and societies.

Abraham Verghese

Abraham Verghese, born 1955 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is an American physician and professor at Stanford known for the bestseller Cutting for Stone and for advocating the physical examination.

ABroProMida trial

ABroProMida (NCT06736938; EU CT 2024-518820-65-00) is a single-center Italian randomized trial comparing propofol/pethidine versus midazolam/pethidine sedation in 530 adults undergoing elective bronchoscopy, with desaturation index as the primary endpoint.

Absent bowel sounds

Absent bowel sounds (absent peristalsis, ICD-11 ME03.1): no intestinal sounds heard on abdominal auscultation, associated with ileus, bowel obstruction, ischemia, and peritonitis; diagnostic accuracy of auscultation is low.

ABSORB B trial

ABSORB Cohort B trial: single-arm imaging study of the Abbott Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold in 101 patients at 12 European and Asia-Pacific sites, showing vasomotion return, late lumen enlargement, and no scaffold thrombosis through 2 years.

Absorbable Implants

Absorbable implants, also called bioabsorbable or resorbable implants, are devices made of polymers like PGA, PLA, or magnesium that degrade in the body, avoiding hardware removal surgery; pooled RCT data show complication rates similar to metal implants.

Absorptiometry

Absorptiometry is a family of diagnostic imaging methods that measure bone mineral density by passing X-rays or gamma-ray photons through the body, used to diagnose and monitor osteoporosis.

Academy of Medicine

Academy of Medicine, Singapore (AMS), professional body of medical and dental specialists founded 1957; awards FAMS, administers in-training examinations for 23 residency programs, publishes the Annals, and has 13 Colleges and 6 Chapters.

ACCELAMI2C19 trial

ACCELAMI2C19 (NCT00915733), also called ACCEL-AMI-2C19, was a Korean randomized pharmacodynamic trial in 126 post-PCI acute myocardial infarction patients comparing cilostazol-added triple antiplatelet therapy with 150 mg/day clopidogrel by CYP2C19 genotype.

Accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation

Accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation protocol that compresses a six-week treatment course into about five days, developed for treatment-resistant depression.