J
JOINT - The junction or articulation of two or more bones that permits varying degrees of motion between the bones.
JUGULAR VEINS - The major veins on each side of the neck draining blood from the head towards the heart.
K
KYPHOSIS - An abnormal increase in the normal kyphotic curvature of the thoracic spine.
L
LABYRINTH - The internal ear, comprising the semicircular canals, vestibule, and cochlea.
LAMINA - The flattened or arched part of the vertebral arch that forms the roof of the spinal canal.
LAMINECTOMY - Excision of one or more laminae of the vertebrae.
LAMINOTOMY - An opening made in a lamina.
LASER - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The device that produces a focused beam of light at a defined wavelength that can vaporize tissue. In surgery lasers can be used to operate on small areas without damaging delicate surrounding tissue.
LATERAL - Situated away from the midline of the body.
LEPTOMENINGES - Two thin layers of fine tissue covering the brain and spinal cord. The pia mater and arachnoid.
LEPTOMENINGITIS - Inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
LEUKODYSTROPHY - Disturbance of the white matter of the brain.
LEUKOENCEPHALITIS - An inflammation of the white matter of the brain.
LIGAMENT - A band of flexible, fibrous, connective tissue that is attached at the end of a bone near a joint. The main function of a ligament is to attach bones to one another, to provide stability of a joint, and to prevent or limit some joint motion.
LINEAR ACCELERATOR - Equipment that precisely delivers a concentrated dose of radiation to a predetermined target using x-rays.
LIPOMA - A benign fatty tumor, usually composed of mature fat cells.
LORDOSIS - Curvature of the spine with the convexity forward.
LUMBAGO - A non-medical term signifying pain in the lumbar region.
LUMBAR - The lower part of the spine between the thoracic region and the sacrum. The lumbar spine consists of five vertebrae.
LUMBAR DRAIN - A device, usually a long, thin, flexible tube, inserted through the skin into the cerebrospinal fluid space of the lower back. Provides a method of draining cerebrospinal fluid.