Glossary of Medical
Terms, Abbreviations
&
Symbols
Dutch-English,
French-English,
German-English
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W
= Wistar (rats) (animal
assays) / Wachszylinder
= cylindrical casts; urinary casts
/ Wadenbein
= fibula / Wahlarzt
= private physician; private consultant. Contrast
"Kassenarzt",
who is registered with the
Kassenärztliche
Vereinigung
and
thus an approved physician
whose fees the health insurance funds will reimburse. The "Wahlarzt" is
freely consulted by the patient, usually without any referral by
another doctor (D)
/
Wahltarif
= health care package option; chosen level of care (statutory
health insurance scheme) (D)
/
Wahn
= delusion; mania / wandelende
nier;
Wanderniere
= wandering kidney; floating kidney; hypermobile
kidney / wandluizen
= Heteroptera / Wangenbein
=
cheekbone; os zygomaticum / Wangenbrand
= noma / lumbosakrale Wanne = lumbosacral
depression (anat.) /
Wannenphänomen = locked facet joint; facet
joint syndrome
(cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine) / lumbosakrales
Wannenphänomen = lumbosacral facet syndrome
/ WaR
=
Wassermannreaktion = Wassermann
reaction (to W. test)
/ warfarin
(anticoagulant: named after Wisconsin
Alumni
Research
Foundation.
The -arin suffix
is
from coumarin, of which warfarin is a
synthetic derivative) / Wärmeanreicherung
= elevated temperature enrichment (microbiol.)
/ Warzenfortsatz
= mastoid process (anat.)
/ Wasserbruch
=
hydrocele / Wasserharnruhr
= diabetes insipidus / Wasserhaushalt
= fluid balance; water balance; water-electrolyte balance / Wasserkopf
= hydrocephalus / Wasserkrebs
= noma; gangrenous
stomatitis; cancrum oris; cancer aquaticus; water cancer / Wasserpocken
see
Windpocken
/ Wassersackniere
= hydronephrosis / Wassersucht
= dropsy; oedema / Wässerung see
Vorwässerung
/ waterbreuk
see
Wasserbruch
/
waterhuishouding see
Wasserhaushalt
/ waterhoofd
see
Wasserkopf
/ waterkuur =
hydrotherapy / "watering-can perineum" = multiple
fistulas around the
anus / waterpokken
= chickenpox; varicella / waterzaknier
= hydronephrosis / waterzucht
= oedema / WB
= Western blot (AIDS testing)
/ WBC
= white blood cells; white blood cell count / WBE
=
Weißbroteinheit (syn.
BE = Broteinheit)
= bread exchange; bread unit (=
12g of carbohydrate, used esp. in
diabetic nutrition) / WBV
= whole-body
vibration / WBV
= whole-body vibration / Weberhusten
= weaver's cough (rmed.)
/ Wechselfieber
= 1. remittent
fever (malaria e.g.);
2. relapsing fever; febris recurrrens (lice-
or tick-borne) / Wechseljahre
= menopause; climacteric;
"change of life" (gyn.)
/
Wechselschnitt
= gridiron incision (surg.
pioneered
by McBurney)
/ Wechseltierchen
=
amoeba / Weckaminen
=
amphetamines; stimulants; "pep pills" (narc.)
/ WEE
= western equine encephalomyelitis (virus)
/
Wegextrapolation =
route-to-route extrapolation (tox.:
e.g.
oral to inhalation)
/ wegteren = wasting /
Wehen =
contractions; "labour pains" (obst.):
in chronological order
these are: Schwangerschaftswehen
= Braxton Hicks
contractions (throughout
pregnancy); Eröffnungswehen
=
contractions during first stage of labour; Preßwehen
(Austreibungswehen)
= contractions during second stage of
labour; Nachgeburtswehen
= contractions during third stage of
labour; Nachwehen
= afterpains /
Weichgelkapsel
= soft gelatin capsule; soft gel capsule (pharm.)
/ Weichstellen
= soft
tissue / weivlies
= amnion (gyn.)
/ Weiße Pocken
= whitepox, see
Kaffernpocken
/ wekaminen
see
Weckaminen
/
wekedelenreuma
= fibrositis; muscular rheumatism / Wellensittichzüchterlunge
=
canary breeder's lung, see
Vogelhalterlunge/
werkkanaal
= working channel (endoscope:
central passage through a rigid
endoscope) / wervelboog
= vertebral arch / wervelgat =
vertebral foramen / wervelkanaal
= vertebral canal; spinal
canal / wervelkolom
see
Wirbelsäule
/ wervellichaam
= vertebral body / wervelverschuiving
= spondylolisthesis / Wesensänderung;
Wesensveränderung =
personality change / WGH =
Wundgranulationshormon / WGO
= Weltgesundheitsorganisation;
Wereldgezondheidsorganisatie see
WHO
/ WHO
= World
Health Organization (based
Geneva; NB always use the "z" spelling - this is its official title)
/
"widow maker"
= stenosis of the LAD
/ Wiederauffindungsversuch
= reproducibility test / Wiederbelebung
= resuscitation / Wiederherstellungschirurgie
= reconstructive surgery / wiegendood
= "cot death"; SIDS
/ wiggebeen
= sphenoid bone / wijnvlek
= port-wine stain, see
haemangioma
/ wilde cellen
= rogue cells (cancer)
/ wilgentwijgfractuur
= greenstick fracture; willow fracture / Wimpertierchen
= Ciliophora; infusoria (obsol.)
/ Windei; Windmole
= blighted
ovum (gyn.)
/ Windpocken
= chickenpox; varicella / Wirbel
= 1. vertebra; 2. whorl (fingerprints)
/ Wirbelkanal
see
wervelkanaal
/ Wirbelkörper
= vertebra (sing.); vertebrae (plur.) / Wirbelsäule
= spinal column; spine;
vertebral column / Wirbelsäulenverkrümmung
= abnormal curvature of spine (abnormally
increased kyphosis or
lordosis; lateral deviation is scoliosis)
/ Wirbelspalt
=
spina bifida /
Wirkort
= site of effect (of drug)
/ Wirksamkeit
= efficacy
(pharm.)(defined: the maximum
effect a drug
can produce, regardless of
dose; efficacy (vaccines) / Wirkstärke
= potency (cells) /
Wirkung =
effectiveness (vaccines)
/ Wirkungsrisiko
=
risk of effect; RE
/ Wirkungsstärke
= potency (pharm.)(defined: the amount of
drug
needed to produce a given
effect; it is often quantified by the ED50 or EC50, which are
respectively the drug dose or concentration that causes 50% of the
maximum effect); not the same as Wirksamkeit,
q.v.) / Wischtest
=
swab test; the material taken
is "a swab"
/ Wischtupfer
= wipe swab (microbiology)
/ wisselkoorts
see
Wechselfieber
/ wisseltransfusie
= exchange transfusion (blood)
/ wissenschaftlich
begründet
= evidence-based (medicine)
/ witte vloed =
vaginal discharge; leukorrhoea; fluor albus (gyn.)
/ WLST = withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (or
therapies) / WMA
= World Medical Association / WNL
= within normal limits / Wochenbettfieber
(syn. Kinderbettfieber)
= puerperal fever (gyn./obst.)
/ Wochenendsportler
see
Sonntagssportler /
Wochenfluß
= lochia (gyn./obst.)
/ woekerend
=
(rapidly) growing; spreading; proliferating / woekering
=
growth; tumour; neoplasm / "Wolf"
= intertrigo / wolfskers
(bot.)
= deadly nightshade; Atropa belladonna / "wolfsmond";
"Wolfsrachen" = bilateral cleft
lip; double harelip (with cleft
of jaw and palate too)
cheilognathopalatoschisis / wolkenschedel
= cranial bossing; (frontal)
bossing of the skull (rickets
e.g.)
/ wolkig
= ground-glass (opacity;
obscuration) (rad./rmed.)
/ wolvet
= lanolin (pharm.)
/ "wonderolie"
=
castor oil (pharm.)
/ wondkoorts
= wound fever;
traumatic fever / wondkramp
see
Wundstarrkrampf
/ wondpoeder
= antiseptic powder (pharm.);
wound powder (vet.)
/ wondroos
see Wundrose
/ wondsperder =
(wound) retractor (surg.)
/ wormmiddel
= antihelminthic (pharm.)
/ wormvormig
aanhangsel see Wurmfortsatz
/ wortelvlies
= periodontium (dent.)
/ wP
= whole-cell pertussis / WPW
= Wolff Parkinson White (syndrome)
/ wrat
= wart / WT = wild-type (mice) /
wuchernd;
wucherend see
woekerend
/ Wucherung
see
woekering
/ Wulstbruch
= torus fracture; buckle
fracture / primäre Wundheilung
= wound healing by first
intention / sekundäre Wundheilung
= wound healing by second
intention; by granulation / Wundrose
= traumatic erysipelas / Wundstarrkrampf
= trismus; lockjaw (tetanus)
/ Würfelbein
= cuboid bone;
os cuboideum / Wurm
= vermis (cerebelli) / Wurmfortsatz
= vermiform appendix; appendix vermiformis, see
also Blinddarm
/
Wurmfurche
= vermicular sulcus (cerebellum)
/ Wurmkrankheiten
= helminthic diseases / Wurzelfüßler
=
Rhizopoda / Wurzelhaut
= periodontium (dent.)
/ WV = Wiedervorstellung = follow-up appointment / WW
= watchful waiting (before
e.g. surgery; synonym "active
surveillance")
"DocBag"
graphic courtesy of IconBazaar
Created
by Alison
Gaunt
Last updated: 5 June 2024
