Diagnostic, Symptomatic, Therapeutic Terms

• Aaron’s Sign - refers to pain in the chest or abdominal area that is elicited by applying gentle but steadily increasing pressure over McBurney’s point below the anterior superior spine of the ilium. A positive sign indicates appendicitis.
• Abdominal distention – refers to increased abdominal girth – the result of increased intraabdominal pressure forcing abdominal wall outward.
• Anorexia – loss of appetite
• Ascites – refers to the abnormal accumulation of serous fluid in the peritoneal cavity.
• Auscultation – is an assessment method; it means listen carefully, usually with stethoscope.
• Borborygmi – is an assessment method; it means listen carefully, usually with stethoscope.
• Cachexia – a profound state of overall ill health and malnutrition characterized by weakness and emaciation
• Cleft Palate – a congenital fissure in the roof of the mouth forming a communicating passageway between the mouth and nasal cavities.
• Crohn disease (granumalotous enteritis) (regional enteritis) – inflammatory condition of the intestinal tract, most commonly the ileum, distinguished from closely related bowel disorders by its inflammatory pattern.
• Cirrhosis – liver disease with degeneration of liver cells.
• Colic – acute abdominal pain or spasmodic pain in the abdomen
• Deglutition – the act of swallowing
• Dysentery – a term applied to a number of the intestinal disorders, especially of the colon, characterized by inflammation of the mucous membrane
• Dyspepsia – gastric indigestion or “upset stomach” usually referring to epigastric discomfort after meals
• Dysphagia – difficulty swallowing
• Emesis – inability to swallow
• Eructation – the act of belching or raising of gas or a small quantity of acid from the stomach.
• Fecalith – fecal concretion; stone in the feces
• Fecal impaction – the accumulation of hardened feces in the rectum or sigmoid colon that cannot be evacuated.
• Fecal incontinence - refers to inability to prevent the discharge of feces.
• Flatus - gas of air expelled through the anus.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) – backflow of gastric contents into the esophagus caused by the regurgitation of HCI from the stomach into the esophagus.
• Halitosis – offensive or ”bad” breath
• Heartburn – refers to as pyrosis, is a burning sensation in the esophagus or below the sternum in the region of the heart.
• Hepatomegaly – enlargement of the liver
• Hematemesis – vomiting blood
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (mucous colitis) (spastic colon) – a chronic stress related disease characterized by diarrhea, constipation, and pain associated with rhythmic contractions of the intestines.
• Leukoplakia – white patches on the mucous membrane of the tongue or cheek, common in smokers and possibly a forerunner to cancer.
• Malabsorption syndrome – impaired absorption of nutrients from the intestinal tract, especially the small intestine.
• Melena – passage of black tarry stool - a common sign of upper GI bleeding.
• Obstipation – extreme constipation
• Peristalsis (vermicular movement) – a progressive wavelike movement that occurs involuntarily in hollow tubes of the body, especially the alimentary canal.
• Pyloric stenosis – narrowing of the gastric pylorus; may be due to excessive thickening of the circular muscle of the pylorus.
• Regurgitation – a backward flowing, as in the return of solids or fluids to the mouth from the stomach or the backward flow of the blood through a defective heart valve.
• Steatorrhea – excessive amount of fat in the feces due to improper fat digestion (malabsorption)
• Visceroptosis – downward displacement of the viscera (internal organs enclosed within a cavity) especially the abdominal organs
• Tympany –  a clear, hollow drum-like sound heard when palpating the abdomen.