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Chapter 18, MedTerms
The Sensory System
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| equilibrium | The sense of balance |
| gustation | The sense of taste (Latin geusis means "taste") |
| hearing | The sense or perception of sound |
| olfaction | The sense of smell (root osm/o means "smell") |
| proprioception | The awareness of posture, movement, and changes in equilibrium; receptors are located in muscles, tendons, and joints |
| sensory receptor | A sensory nerve ending or a specialized structure associated with a sensory nerve that responds to a stimulus |
| tactile | Pertaining to the sense of touch |
| vision | The sense by which the shape, size, and color of objects are perceived by means of the light they give off |
| -esthesia | sensation |
| -algesia | pain |
| -osmia | sense of smell |
| -geusia | sense of taste |
| auditory tube | The tube that connects the middle ear with the nasopharynx and serves to equalize pressure between the outer and middle ear (root: salping/o); pharyngotympanic tube; originally called the eustachian tube |
| cerumen | The brownish, wax-like secretion formed in the external ear canal to protect the ear and prevent infection (adjective: ceruminous) |
| cochlea | The coiled portion of the inner ear that contains the receptors for hearing (root: cochle/o) |
| external auditory canal | Tube that extends from the pinna of the ear to the tympanic membrane; eternal auditory meatus |
| incus | The middle ossicle of the ear |
| labyrinth | The inner ear, named for its complex structure, which resembles a maze |
| malleus | The ossicle of the middle ear that is in contact with the tympanic membrane and the incus |
| ossicles | The small bones of the middle ear; the malleus, incus, and stapes |
| pinna | The projecting part of the outer ear; auricle |
| semicircular canals | The three curved channels of the inner ear that hold receptors for equilibrium |
| spiral organ | The hearing receptor, which is located in the cochlea of the inner ear; organ of Corti |
| stapes | The ossicle that is in contact with the inner ear (roots: staped/o, stapedi/o) |
| tympanic membrane | The membrane between the external auditory canal and the middle ear (tympanic cavity); the eardrum; it serves to transmit sound waves to the ossicles of the middle ear (roots: myring/o, tympan/o) |
| vestibular apparatus | The portion of the inner ear that is concerned with the sense of equilibrium; it consists of the vestibule and the semicircular canals (root: vestibul/o) |
| vestibule | The chamber in the inner ear that holds some of the receptors for equilibrium |
| vestibulocochlear nerve | The nerve that transmits impulses for hearing and equilibrium from the ear to the brain; eighth cranial nerve; auditory or acoustic nerve |
| audi/o | hearing |
| acous, acus, cus | sound, hearing |
| ot/o | ear |
| myring/o | tympanic membrane |
| tympan/o | tympanic cavity (middle ear), tympanic membrane |
| salping/o | tube, auditory tube |
| staped/o, stapedi/o | stapes |
| labyrinth/o | labyrinth (inner ear) |
| vestibul/o | vestibule, vestibular apparatus |
| cochle/o | cochlea (of inner ear) |
| acoustic neuroma | A tumor of the eighth cranial nerve sheath; although benign, it can press on surrounding tissue and produce symptoms; also called an acoustic or vestibular schwannoma or acoustic neurilemmoma |
| conductive hearing loss | Hearing impairment that results from blockage of sound transmission to the inner ear |
| Ménière disease | A disease associated with increased fluid pressure in the inner ear and characterized by hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus |
| otitis externa | Inflammation of the external auditory canal; swimmer's ear |
| otitis media | Inflammation of the middle ear with accumulation of serious (watery) or mucoid fluid |
| otosclerosis | Formation of abnormal and sometimes hardened bony tissue in the ear; it usually occurs around the oval window and the footplate (base) of the stapes, causing immobilization of the stapes and progressive hearing loss |
| sensorineural hearing loss | Hearing impairment that results from damage to the inner ear, eighth cranial nerve, or auditory pathways in the brain |
| tinnitus | A sensation of noises, such as ringing or tinkling, in the ear |
| vertigo | An illusion of movement, as of the body moving in space or the environment moving about the body; usually caused by disturbances in the vestibular apparatus; used loosely to mean dizziness or lightheadedness |
| myringotomy | Surgical incision of the tympanic membrane; performed to drain the middle ear cavity or to insert a tube into the tympanic membrane for drainage |
| stapedectomy | Surgical removal of the stapes; it may be combined with insertion of a prosthesis to correct otosclerosis |
| aural | Pertaining to or perceived by the ear |
| decibel (dB) | A unit for measuring the relative intensity of sound |
| hertz (Hz) | A unit for measuring the frequency (pitch) of sound |
| mastoid process | A small projection of the temporal bone behind the external auditory canal; it consists of loosely arranged bony material and small, air-filled cavities |
| stapedius | A small muscle attached to the stapes; it contracts in the presence of a loud sound, producing the acoustic reflex |
| cholesteatoma | A cyst-like mass containing cholesterol that is most common in the middle ear and mastoid region; a possible complication of chronic middle ear infection |
| labyrinthitis | Inflammation of the ear's labyrinth (inner ear); otitis interna |
| mastoiditis | Inflammation of the air cells of the mastoid process |
| presbycusis | Loss of hearing caused by aging presbyacusis |
| audiometry | Measurement of hearing |
| electronystagmography (ENG) | A method for recording eye movements by means of electrical responses; such movements may reflect vestibular dysfunction |
| otorhinolaryngology (ORL) | The branch of medicine that deals with diseases of the ear(s), nose, and throat (ENT); also called otolaryngology (OL) |
| otoscope | Instrument for examining the ear |
| Rinne test | Test that measures hearing by comparing results of bone conduction and air conduction; bone conduction is tested through the mastoid process behind the ear |
| spondee | A two-syllable word with equal stress on each syllable; used in hearing tests; examples are toothbrush, baseball, cowboy, pancake |
| Weber test | Test for hearing loss that uses a vibrating tuning fork placed at the center of the head |
| ABR | Auditory brainstem response |
| AC | Air conduction |
| BAEP | Brainstem auditory evoked potentials |
| BC | Bone conduction |
| dB | Decibel |
| ENG | Electronystagmography |
| ENT | Ear(s), nose, and throat |
| HL | Hearing level |
| Hz | Hertz |
| OL | Otolaryngology |
| OM | Otitis media |
| ORL | Otorhinolaryngology |
| ST | Speech threshold |
| TM | Tympanic membrane |
| TTS | Temporary threshold shift |
| accommodation | Adjustment of the lens's curvature to allow for vision at various distances |
| aqueous humor | Fluid that fills the eye anterior to the lens |
| choroid | The dark, vascular, middle layer of the eye (roots: chori/o, choroid/o); part of the uvea |
| ciliary body | The muscular portion of the uvea that surrounds the lens and adjusts its shape for near and far vision (root: cycl/o) |
| cone | A specialized cell in the retina that responds to light; cones have high visual acuity, function in bright light, and respond to colors |
| conjunctiva | The mucous membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the eyeball's anterior surface |
| convergence | Coordinated movement of the eyes toward fixation on the same point |
| cornea | The clear, anterior portion of the sclera (roots: corne/o, kerat/o) |
| fovea | The tiny depression in the retina that is the point of sharpest vision; fovea centralis, central |
| iris | The muscular colored ring between the lens and the cornea; regulates the amount of light that enters the eye by altering the size of the pupil at its center (roots: ir, irid/o, irit/o) (plural: irides) |
| lacrimal gland | A gland above the eye that produces tears (roots: lacrim/o, dacry/o) |
| lens | The transparent, biconvex structure in the anterior portion of the eye that refracts light and functions in accommodation (roots: lent/i, phak/o) |
| macula | A small spot or colored area; used alone to mean the yellowish spot in the retina that contains the fovea |
| optic disk | The point where the optic nerve joins the retina; at this point, there are no rods or cones; also called the blind spot or optic papilla |
| orbit | The bony cavity that contains the eyeball |
| palpebra | An eyelid; a protective fold (upper or lower) that closes over the anterior surface of the eye (roots: palpebr/o, blephar/o) (adjective: palpebral) (plural: palpebrae) |
| pupil | The opening at the center of the iris (root: pupil/o) |
| refraction | The bending of light rays as they pass through the eye to focus on a specific point on the retina; also the determination and correction of ocular refractive errors |
| retina | The innermost, light-sensitive layer of the eye; contains the rod and cones, the specialized receptor cells for vision (root: retin/o) |
| rod | A specialized cell in the retina that responds to light; rods have low visual acuity, function in dim light, and do not respond to color |
| sclera | The tough, white, fibrous outermost layer of the eye; the white of the eye (root: slcer/o) |
| uvea | The middle, vascular layer of the eye (root: uve/o); consists of the choroid, ciliary body, and iris |
| visual acuity | Sharpness of vision |
| vitreous body | The transparent jelly-like mass that fills the eyeball's main cavity; also called vitreous humor |
| blephar/o | eyelid |
| palpebr/o | eyelid |
| dacry/o | tear, lacrimal apparatus |
| dacryocyst/o | lacrimal sac |
| lacrim/o | tear, lacrimal apparatus |
| opt/o | eye, vision |
| ocul/o | eye |
| ophthalm/o | eye |
| scler/o | sclera |
| corne/o | cornea |
| kerat/o | cornea |
| lent/i | lens |
| phak/o, phac/o | lens |
| uve/o | uvea |
| chori/o, choroid/o | choroid |
| cycl/o | ciliary body, ciliary muscle |
| ir, irit/o, irid/o | iris |
| pupill/o | pupil |
| retin/o | retina |
| -opsia | condition of vision |
| -opia | condition of the eye, vision |
| age-related macular degeneration (AMD) | Deterioration of the macula associated with aging; macular degeneration impairs central vision |
| astigmatism | An error of refraction caused by irregularity in the curvature of the cornea or lens |
| cataract | Opacity of the lens of the eye |
| conjunctivitis | Inflammation of the conjunctiva; pink eye |
| diabetic retinopathy | Degenerative changes in the retina associated with diabetes mellitus |
| glaucoma | An eye disease caused by increased intraocular pressure that damages the optic disk and causes vision loss; usually results from faulty fluid drainage from the anterior eye |
| hyperopia | A refractive error in which light rays focus behind the retina and objects can be seen clearly only when far from the eye; farsightedness; also called hypermetropia |
| myopia | A refractive error in which light rays focus in front of the retina and objects can be seen clearly only when very close to the eye; nearsightedness |
| ophthalmia neonatorum | Severe conjunctivitis usually caused by infection with gonococcus during birth |
| phacoemulsification | Removal of a cataract by ultrasonic destruction and extraction of the lens |
| presbyopia | Changes in the eye that occur with age; the lens loses elasticity and the ability to accommodate for near vision |
| retinal detachment | Separation of the retina from its underlying layer |
| trachoma | An infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis leading to inflammation and scarring of the cornea and conjunctiva; a common cause of blindness in underdeveloped countries |
| canthus | The angle at either end of the slit between the eyelids |
| diopter | A measurement unit for the refractive power of a lens |
| emmetropia | The normal condition of the eye in refraction, in which parallel light rays focus exactly on the retina |
| fundus | A bottom or base; the region farthest from the opening of a structure; the eye's fundus is the posterior portion of the interior eyeball as seen with an ophthalmoscope |
| meibomian gland | A sebaceous gland in the eyelid |
| tarsus | The framework of dense connective tissue that gives shape to the eyelid; tarsal plate |
| zonule | A system of fibers that holds the lens in place; also called suspensory ligaments |
| amblyopia | A condition that occurs when visual acuity is not the same in the two eyes in children (prefix ambly means "dim"); disuse of the poorer eye will result in blindness if not corrected; also called "lazy eye" |
| anisocoria | Condition in which the two pupils (root: cor/o) are not of equal size |
| blepharoptosis | Drooping of the eyelid |
| chalazion | A small mass on the eyelid resulting from the inflammation and blockage of a meibomian gland |
| drusen | Small growths that appear as tiny yellowish spots beneath the retina of the eye; typically occur with age but also occur in certain abnormal conditions |
| floater | A small moving object in the field of vision that originates in the vitreous body; floaters appear as spots or threads and are caused by benign degenerative or embryonic deposits in the vitreous body that cast a shadow on the retina |
| hordeolum | Inflammation of a sebaceous gland of the eyelid; a sty |
| keratoconus | Conical protrusion of the corneal center |
| miosis | Abnormal contraction of the pupils (from Greek meiosis meaning "diminution") |
| mydriasis | Pronounced or abnormal dilation of the pupil |
| nyctalopia | Night blindness; inability to see well in dim light or at night (root: nyct/o); often due to lack of vitamin A, which is used to make the pigment needed for vision in dim light |
| nystagmus | Rapid, involuntary, rhythmic movements of the eyeball; may occur in neurologic diseases or disorders of the inner ear's vestibular apparatus |
| papilledema | Swelling of the optic disk (papilla); choked disk |
| phlyctenule | A small blister or nodule on the cornea or conjunctiva |
| pseudophakia | A condition in which a cataractous lens has been removed and replaced with a plastic lens implant |
| retinitis | Inflammation of the retina; causes include systemic disease, infection, hemorrhage, exposure to light |
| retinitis pigmentosa | A hereditary chronic degenerative disease of the retina that begins in early childhood; there is atrophy of the optic nerve and clumping of pigment in the retina |
| retinoblastoma | A malignant glioma of the retina; usually appears in early childhood and is sometimes hereditary; fatal if untreated, but current cure rates are high |
| scotoma | An area of diminished vision within the visual field |
| strabismus | A deviation of the eye in which the visual lines of each eye are not directed to the same object at the same time; also called heterotropia or squint |
| synechia | Adhesion of parts, especially adhesion of the iris to the lens and cornea (plural: synechiae) |
| xanthoma | A soft, slightly raised, yellowish patch or nodule usually on the eyelids; occurs in the elderly; also called xanthelasma |
| canthotomy | Surgical division of a canthus |
| cystotome | Instrument for incising the lens capsule |
| electroretinography (ERG) | Study of the retina's electrical response to light stimulation |
| enucleation | Surgical removal of the eyeball |
| gonioscopy | Examination of the angle between the cornea and the iris (anterior chamber angle) in which fluids drain out of the eye (root goni/o means "angle") |
| keratometer | An instrument for measuring the curvature of the cornea |
| mydriatic | A drug that causes dilation of the pupil |
| phorometer | An instrument for determining the degree and kind of strabismus |
| retinoscope | An instrument used to determine refractive errors of the eye; also called a skiascope |
| slit-lamp biomicroscope | An instrument for examining the eye under magnification |
| Snellen chart | A chart printed with letters of decreasing size used to test visual acuity when viewed from a set distance; results reported as a fraction giving a subject's vision compared with normal vision at a distance of 20 feet |
| tarsorrhaphy | Suturing together of all or part of the upper and lower eyelids |
| tonometer | An instrument used to measure fluid pressure in the eye |
| A, Acc | Accommodation |
| AMD | Age-related macular degeneration |
| ARC | Abnormal retinal correspondence |
| As, AST | Astigmatism |
| cc | With correction |
| Em | Emmetropia |
| EOM | Extraocular movement, muscles |
| ERG | Electroretinography |
| ET | Esotropia |
| FC | Finger counting |
| HM | Hand movements |
| IOL | Intraocular lens |
| IOP | Intraocular pressure |
| NRC | Normal retinal correspondence |
| NV | Near vision |
| sc | Without correction |
| VA | Visual acuity |
| VF | Visual field |
| XT | Exotropia |
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