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Obstetrical tetanus
Obstetrical tetanus, also called maternal tetanus, is tetanus occurring during pregnancy or within six weeks after a pregnancy ends, whether by birth, miscarriage, or abortion.
Obstetricians
Obstetricians: physicians specializing in obstetrics (pregnancy and childbirth care). Also called accoucheurs historically; certified by ABOG in the US; distinct from midwife-led maternity care.
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty covering pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Key facts: 287,000 maternal deaths in 2020, 140 million annual births, 81% skilled attendance, home/FMU birth evidence, and 2027 US payment reform.
Obstetrics and gynaecology
Obstetrics and gynaecology (OB-GYN, O&G) is the combined medical-surgical specialty covering pregnancy, childbirth, and female reproductive health, with subspecialties like maternal-fetal medicine and gynecologic oncology and active debate over splitting the fields.
Obstetrics and gynecology
Obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn, OB/GYN) is the medical specialty covering pregnancy, childbirth, and the female reproductive system; ACOG, founded 1951, is its main US body, with the Green and Gray Journals as flagships.
Obstructed intercourse
Obstructed intercourse (ICD-11 GC42.1) is inability to have vaginal intercourse due to vaginal canal obstruction or vaginal muscle hypertonicity, classified under sexual dysfunction associated with pelvic organ prolapse, reported in 37-100% of women with POP.
Obstructed labour
Obstructed labour (labour obstruction, CPD-related birth obstruction, ICD-10 O64-O66): labour in which the fetus cannot descend despite strong contractions, causing uterine rupture, fistula, and maternal death; treated by cesarean or instrumental delivery.
Obstruction of cystic duct
Obstruction of cystic duct (ICD-11 DC10.00) is blockage of the gallbladder's outflow channel, usually by an impacted gallstone, causing biliary colic, acute and chronic cholecystitis, hydrops, and Mirizzi syndrome; diagnosed by ultrasound and HIDA scan.
Obstruction of duodenum
Obstruction of the duodenum, or duodenal obstruction, is a partial or complete blockage of the first part of the small intestine, common in newborns with duodenal atresia.
Obstruction of Eustachian tube
Obstruction of the Eustachian tube (ICD-10 H68.1), obstructive or dilatory Eustachian tube dysfunction: failure of tubal opening causing middle-ear pressure dysregulation; treated medically or by balloon dilation with about 1.4% complication rate.
Obstruction of large intestine
Obstruction of large intestine (large bowel obstruction, LBO): blockage of colon or rectum, 20–25% of bowel obstructions. Main causes colorectal cancer (50–60%), volvulus, diverticular strictures; CT is definitive imaging; mortality 9.8–20%.
Obstruction of small intestine
Obstruction of small intestine (ICD-11 DA91): blockage of luminal flow in the small bowel, partial or complete, simple or strangulating. Main causes are adhesions, hernias, and malignancy; CT is the diagnostic standard, and management ranges from decompression to surgery.
Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is the form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in which thickened heart muscle and mitral valve motion block blood leaving the left ventricle, affecting about 70% of patients.
Obstructive lung disease
Obstructive lung disease, also called obstructive airway disease, is a group of respiratory conditions, including asthma and COPD, that narrow the airways and limit expiratory airflow.
Obstructive or reflux nephropathy
Obstructive or reflux nephropathy (ICD-11 GB56): kidney damage from urinary tract obstruction or vesicoureteral reflux, causing hydronephrosis, renal scarring, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, chiefly in children and women.
Obstructive pancreatitis
Obstructive pancreatitis (ICD-11 DC34) is pancreatitis caused by blocked pancreatic juice outflow, from gallstones, strictures, tumors, or sphincter dysfunction, causing ductal hypertension and premature enzyme activation; surgery is favored for painful obstructive chronic pancreatitis.
Obstructive shock
Obstructive shock: circulatory shock from mechanical blockage of blood flow into or out of the heart, mainly pulmonary embolism, tension pneumothorax, and cardiac tamponade; about 2% of shock cases, treated by relieving the obstruction.
Obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSAHS) is the most common type of sleep apnea, in which the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep; treatment includes CPAP, oral appliances, and, since 2024, medication.
Obstructive sleep apnoea
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA, OSAHS), repetitive sleep-related upper airway collapse causing apneas, hypopneas, and daytime sleepiness; diagnosed by polysomnography or home testing, treated first-line with CPAP, oral appliances, or surgery.
Obturation (endodontics)
Obturation, also called the obturation technique, is the endodontic procedure of filling and sealing a cleaned root canal with gutta-percha and a sealer to entomb residual bacteria.
Obturator dislocation of hip
Obturator dislocation of hip, also called anteroinferior hip dislocation, is a rare traumatic hip dislocation into the obturator foramen, caused by high-energy dashboard injury, requiring reduction within 6 hours.
Occipital bone
Occipital bone (os occipitale): the unpaired skull bone forming the back and base of the cranium around the foramen magnum. Four parts (basilar, two condylar, squamous); articulates with parietals, temporals, sphenoid, atlas; dual endochondral and intramembranous ossification from week 8-9.
Occipital bun
Occipital bun (chignon): a posterior projection of the occipital squama characteristic of Neanderthals, present in 93.3% of sampled European Neandertals; a weaker 'hemibun' occurs in some modern humans and is likely not homologous.
Occipital lobe
Occipital lobe: smallest, rearmost cerebral lobe, housing the primary visual cortex (V1, calcarine sulcus) and dorsal/ventral visual streams; supplied by the posterior cerebral artery; damage causes homonymous field loss and cortical blindness.
Occipital nerve stimulation
Occipital nerve stimulation is a neuromodulation treatment in which leads implanted near the occipital nerves deliver electrical pulses to relieve refractory headache and facial pain, including occipital neuralgia and chronic migraine.
Occipital neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia, also called Arnold's neuralgia or C2 neuralgia, is paroxysmal stabbing pain in the greater, lesser, or third occipital nerve distributions, first described in 1821, incidence 3.2 per 100,000, confirmed by diagnostic nerve block.
Occipitalisation of atlas
Occipitalisation of the atlas, also called atlanto-occipital assimilation, is a congenital fusion of C1 with the occipital bone; pooled prevalence 0.64%, often asymptomatic, associated with basilar invagination and vertebral artery anomalies.
Occlusal adjustment
Occlusal adjustment, also known as occlusal equilibration or coronoplasty, is a dental procedure that reshapes biting surfaces so the teeth contact each other harmoniously; it is irreversible.
Occlusal Splints
Occlusal splints, also called bite guards or nightguards, are removable rigid or flexible dental appliances covering the teeth, used to manage temporomandibular disorders, clenching, bruxism, and jaw pain.
Occlusive Dressings
Occlusive dressings are wound coverings (films, foams, hydrocolloids, hydrogels, alginates) that seal wounds to maintain moisture, speeding reepithelialization and lowering infection rates versus gauze, though surgical-trial and cost benefits vary by wound type.