Glossary - Ear, Nose, and Throat
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American Sign Language (ASL) - manual (hand) language with its own syntax and grammar used primarily by people who are deaf.
anti-inflammatory drugs - drugs that reduce the symptoms and signs of inflammation.
assistive devices - technical tools and devices such as alphabet boards, text telephones, or text-to-speech conversion software used to assist people with physical or emotional disorders in performing certain actions, tasks, and activities.
audiologist - a healthcare professional trained to identify and measure hearing impairments and related disorders using a variety of tests and procedures.
audiology - the study of hearing and hearing disorders.
auditory brainstem response (ABR) test - test used for hearing in infants and young children, or to test for brain functioning in unresponsive patients.
auditory nerve - eighth cranial nerve that connects the inner ear to the brainstem.
autism - brain disorder that begins in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood; affects three crucial areas of development: communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play.
autoimmune deafness - hearing loss that may be associated with an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
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balance - biological system that enables individuals to know where their bodies are in the environment and to maintain a desired position; normal balance depends on information from the labyrinth in the inner ear, and from other senses such as sight and touch, as well as from muscle movement.
benign - a term used to describe non-cancerous tumors which tend to grow slowly and do not spread.
biopsy - a sample of tissue is removed and examined under a microscope.
blasts - immature blood cells.
blood - the life-maintaining fluid which is made up of plasma, red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), and platelets; blood circulates through the body's heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries; it carries away waste matter and carbon dioxide, and brings nourishment, electrolytes, hormones, vitamins, antibodies, heat, and oxygen to the tissues.
bone marrow - the soft, spongy tissue found inside bones. It is the medium for development and storage of about 95 percent of the body's blood cells.
bone marrow aspiration and biopsy - the marrow may be removed by aspiration or a needle biopsy under local anesthesia. In aspiration biopsy, a fluid specimen, is removed from the bone marrow. In a needle biopsy, marrow cells (not fluid) are removed. These methods are often used together.
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cancer - cancer is not just one disease but rather a group of diseases. All forms of cancer cause cells in the body to change and grow out of control. Most types of cancer cells form a lump or mass called a tumor. The tumor can invade and destroy healthy tissue.
cancer care team - the group of healthcare professionals who work together to find, treat, and care for people with cancer.
cancer cell - a cell that divides and multiplies uncontrollably and has the potential to spread throughout the body, crowding out normal cells and tissue.
carcinogen - an agent (chemical, physical, or viral) that causes cancer. Examples include tobacco smoke and asbestos.
chemotherapy -