Human health and medicine

Variant angina

Variant angina (Prinzmetal angina, vasospastic angina): rest angina with transient ST-segment elevation caused by coronary artery spasm, first described by Prinzmetal in 1959, treated with calcium channel blockers and nitrates.

Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD), also called human mad cow disease, is a fatal prion disease from BSE-contaminated beef, first described in the UK in 1996; 233 deaths worldwide, median age 28, transmissible by blood transfusion.

Varicella encephalitis

Varicella encephalitis is brain inflammation from varicella zoster virus, complicating chickenpox or viral reactivation. It affects 1–2 per 10,000 varicella cases, is treated with acyclovir, and has 5–20% mortality.

Varicella meningitis

Varicella meningitis (VZV meningitis) is aseptic meningitis from reactivation of varicella-zoster virus, often without rash, diagnosed by CSF PCR, treated with acyclovir or valacyclovir, and usually with a good prognosis.

Varicella vaccine

Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine: live attenuated Oka-strain VZV vaccine developed by Takahashi in Japan, licensed in the US in 1995; two doses about 90% effective against chickenpox.

Varicella without complication

Varicella without complication (ICD-11 1E90.0) is uncomplicated chickenpox, primary varicella-zoster virus infection with an itchy vesicular rash of 250–500 lesions crusting over 4–7 days, managed with isolation rather than antivirals.

Varicocele

Varicocele: abnormal dilation of the pampiniform venous plexus in the scrotum, usually left-sided, affecting 15-20% of men and linked to pain, testicular atrophy, and infertility; treated by varicocelectomy or embolization.

Varicocele repair

Varicocele repair is a surgical or radiologic procedure that blocks the enlarged veins of the pampiniform plexus, done for chronic testicular pain, infertility, or testicular atrophy.

Varicose veins

Varicose veins, or varicosities, are swollen twisted superficial leg veins caused by valve failure and reflux, affecting about one-third of the UK population; treated by endothermal ablation, foam sclerotherapy, or ligation and stripping.

Variegate porphyria

Variegate porphyria (porphyria variegata), a rare autosomal dominant heme biosynthesis disorder from PPOX mutations, causes both blistering photosensitivity and acute neurovisceral attacks; highly prevalent in South Africa via the R59W founder mutation.

Variolation

Variolation: deliberate smallpox infection via skin scratches or nasal insufflation to induce immunity, used in Asia, Africa, Ottoman Empire; brought to Europe by Montagu (1721) and Boston via Onesimus and Mather; 1-2% fatality versus 30% natural; replaced by Jenner's 1796 cowpox vaccine.

Varnimcabtagene autoleucel (Qartemi)

Varnimcabtagene autoleucel (var-cel, IMN-003A), brand Qartemi, is Immuneel Therapeutics' CD19-directed autologous CAR-T therapy, licensed from Hospital Clínic de Barcelona as ARI-0001; CDSCO approved it January 2025 for adult relapsed/refractory B-cell NHL after the IMAGINE trial (83.3% response at 90 days).

Vas deferens

Vas deferens, or ductus deferens, is a long muscular tube in men that carries mature sperm from the epididymis of each testicle to the urethra before ejaculation.

Vasa praevia

Vasa praevia (vasa previa): unprotected fetal blood vessels run through the amniotic membranes over the cervix. Types I–III; risk factors include IVF and low-lying placenta; ultrasound diagnosis and planned cesarean cut fetal mortality from over 60% to under 5%.

Vasakasava

Vasakasava (vāsakāriṣṭa, vāsāriṣṭa) is a fermented Ayurvedic liquid formulation (asava) based on Vasaka (Justicia adhatoda) with spices and jaggery, listed in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India at 12 to 24 ml for cough, asthma-like Shwasa, and Raktapitta.

Vasanta Malati Rasa

Vasanta Malati Rasa (वसन्त मालती रस), also Swarna Vasant Malti Ras, is an Ayurvedic Kharaliya Rasayana herbo-mineral formulation for fever and rejuvenation; eight textual variants exist, with Rasaka and Maricha as chief ingredients, listed in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India.

Vasantakusumakara Rasa

Vasantakusumakara Rasa (Vasantkusumakar Ras, VKR) is a classical Ayurvedic herbo-mineral formulation first recorded in the 14th-century Rasendra Sara Sangraha, used mainly for diabetes (Prameha) and studied in small clinical trials for diabetic neuropathy.

Vasavaleha

Vasavaleha (Vāsāvaleha) is a semisolid Ayurvedic avaleha formulation based on Adhatoda vasica (vasa) juice, used for Tamaka Shwasa (bronchial asthma); official dose 6-12 g thrice daily, studied in asthma and chronic bronchitis trials.

Vasavarajiyam

Vasavarajiyam, also Basavarajiyam, a medieval Ayurvedic therapeutic compendium by Vasavaraja (c. 1500 AD), widely used in the Telugu region; covers Taila Bindu Pariksha urine diagnosis, rasa preparations, and is listed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Vascular

Vascular is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal of vascular and endovascular surgery, ISSN 1708-5381, published by SAGE since 2012, official journal of international vascular surgery societies, indexed in MEDLINE and SCIE.

Oct 20, 2026

Vascular abnormalities of conjunctiva

Vascular abnormalities of conjunctiva (ICD-11 9A61.40, ICD-10 H11.41): abnormalities of conjunctival blood vessels, including telangiectasia, lymphangiectasia, malformations, and vascular tumors, often signaling systemic disease.

Vascular bypass

A vascular bypass is surgery that reroutes blood flow around a blocked artery using a vein or synthetic graft, most often for peripheral artery disease or coronary blockages.

Vascular Closure Devices

Vascular closure devices (VCDs), also called arterial closure devices, seal arterial or venous puncture sites after catheterization. Types include collagen plug (Angio-Seal, MANTA), suture (Perclose ProGlide), and nitinol clip (StarClose) devices.

Vascular dementia

Vascular dementia (VaD), also called multi-infarct or subcortical ischemic vascular dementia, is dementia caused by cerebrovascular disease, mainly strokes and small-vessel disease; it is the second most common dementia after Alzheimer's, 15–20% of cases, with executive dysfunction and retrieval-based memory loss.

Vascular disease

Vascular disease covers conditions affecting arteries, veins, capillaries, and lymphatics, including atherosclerosis, aneurysm, PAD, and venous thrombosis; diagnosed by ABI and imaging, treated with lifestyle change, medicines, angioplasty, or surgery.

Vascular grafting

Vascular grafting is a surgical procedure that replaces or bypasses a blocked or aneurysmal blood vessel with a vein, synthetic, or biological conduit, used for peripheral artery disease.

Vascular malformation-related hemorrhagic stroke

Vascular malformation-related hemorrhagic stroke is brain bleeding caused by blood-vessel abnormalities, mainly arteriovenous malformations, cavernous malformations, and dural arteriovenous fistulas, often affecting young adults and accounting for 2% of hemorrhagic strokes.

Oct 20, 2026

Vascular parkinsonism

Vascular parkinsonism (VP, VaP; ICD-11 8A00.23), also called lower body or arteriosclerotic parkinsonism, is secondary parkinsonism from cerebrovascular disease: gait-predominant, tremor-poor, levodopa-poor response, abnormal MRI, preserved DAT-SPECT.

Vascular resection

Vascular resection is the removal of a blood vessel invaded by tumor, usually the portal vein, with reconstruction, performed during pancreatic or liver resections for clear margins.