Medical terms beginning with E

Built as a close chemical relative of methotrexate, it was designed to enter cells more readily and was tested in cancer without reaching approval.

Where the swelling sits, whether it pits under a finger, and whether it is one-sided are the details that separate the causes.

One of the few tests that watches the brain working moment by moment instead of photographing its structure.

A drug that may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy.

A cell that performs a specific function in response to a stimulus; usually used to describe cells in the immune system.

Everyday speech treats it as a synonym for effectiveness; clinical research keeps them apart, and the gap between them is where treatments disappoint.

An effusion is an abnormal buildup of fluid in a body space or between tissue layers, named for the specific location involved, such as pleural or joint.

The unifying feature is molecular rather than anatomic, which is why a bone tumor and a chest wall tumor sit in the same group.

The signal telling skin and lining cells to divide, and a pathway where treatment targets the receiver rather than the signal.

Written in lower case as eGFR the same four letters mean an estimate of kidney function, an entirely unrelated measurement.

Ejaculation is a reflex process coordinated by the nervous system and involves several structures beyond the organ where semen ultimately exits the body.

Quick, painless and available almost anywhere, it is usually the first test reached for when the heart is the question.

A procedure used to do a mammogram (x-ray of the breasts) in women with breast implants.

A procedure used to do a mammogram (x-ray of the breasts) in women with breast implants.

A procedure in which pulses of weak electrical current are sent through acupuncture needles into acupuncture points in the skin.

A recording of the heart’s electrical activity from electrodes on the skin.

A treatment for severe depression and certain mental disorders.

An electrode is a conductor that carries electrical current between a device and the body, used both to deliver energy and to record biological signals.

A change in the heat and electricity passed through the skin by nerves and sweat.

The drying of tissue by a high-frequency electric current applied with a needle-shaped electrode.