Medical dictionary

What is personalised medicine? Personalised medicine is a medical model that emphasises the importance of tailoring treatment to each individual patient according to their needs and circumstances. While this idea has existed for centuries, modern personalised medicine aims to use all the information available, including genetic analysis of the patient, using technological and scientific advance

What are personality disorders? Personality disorders are a group of mental health problems in which your behaviours, thoughts, attitudes and emotions present a long deviation from the personality patterns considered "healthy". These culminate to cause your long-term problems in your life. Frequently, someone with a personality disorder will struggle to relate to other people and to s

What is Perthes disease? Perthes disease, also known as Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD), is a condition affecting children's hip joints, most commonly from ages four to ten. It is a rare condition that affects the blood supply to the femoral head (the ball of the hip joint), which can lead to the death of bone cells, causing it to collapse and deform. Perth

What is analysed? Pertussis analysis involves detecting the presence of Bordetella pertussis bacteria or pertussis antibodies in the blood or respiratory samples to diagnose whooping cough. When is it requested? Pertussis analysis is requested when a patient presents with symptoms suggestive of whooping cough, such as severe coughing fits, "whooping" sound during coughing, a

What is PET? Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine diagnostic and research technique that produces images of the organs in your body using small amounts of radioactive material. Why is PET performed? A PET scan is useful in the following situations: Cancer – a PET scan can detect where cancer has spread in the body, help plan treatment, and assess remis

What is Peyronie’s disease?   Peyronie’s disease is a condition that involves the formation of fibrous scar tissue. When penile fibrosis occurs on the surface of the penis, it ends up causing a loss of elasticity of the penis and, as a consequence, Peyronie's disease. Although it is more common in men from the age of 50, it can appear at any age, causing pain and maki

What is PGT-A (Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy)? Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) is an advanced screening technique used during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) to evaluate embryos for chromosomal abnormalities. A chromosomally normal embryo (euploid) has 46 chromosomes. An abnormal embryo (aneuploidy) occurs when it has an irregular number of chromosomes. T

What is PGT-M?   PGT-M (preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic diseases) is a specialised form of preimplantation genetic testing that targets specific gene mutations responsible for monogenic (single-gene) disorders. A monogenic disorder is caused by a single-gene mutation and can lead to severe health problems.   PGT-M is performed on embryos during the process

What is a phaeochromocytoma?   Phaeochromocytoma is the medical name given to a tumour of the adrenal glands, which are located above your kidneys. It most commonly affects adults, however, children can develop it too. Most of the time, a phaeochromocytoma is not cancerous but in rare cases - around 1 in 10 - it can be malignant.      What are the symptoms of