- B –
Back pain: Pain
felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back include
conditions affecting the bony spine; discs between the vertebrae; ligaments
around the spine and discs; spinal inflammation; spinal cord and nerves;
muscles; internal organs of the pelvis, chest, and abdomen; tumors; and the
skin.
Barium solution: A liquid containing barium sulfate
that is used in x-rays to highlight parts of the digestive system.
Belly: That
part of the body that contains all of the structures between the chest and the
pelvis. Also called the abdomen.
Benign tumors: Tumors which are non-cancerous. These generally grow slowly and do not
invade adjacent organs or spread (metastasize) beyond the pancreas.
Bile: Bile is a yellow-green fluid that is made
by the liver, stored in the gallbladder and passes through the common bile duct
into the duodenum where it helps digest fat. The principal components of bile
are cholesterol, bile salts, and the pigment bilirubin.
Bile duct: A
duct that carries bile from the liver to the intestine. This term may refer to
the hepatic, cystic or common bile duct.
Biliary: Having to do with the gallbladder, bile
ducts, or bile. The biliary system itself consists of the gallbladder and bile
ducts and, of course, the bile
Bilirubin: A
substance produced in the liver when the body breaks down hemoglobin, the
molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Bilirubin is yellowish green
in color and is eliminated in the bile.
Biological therapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore
the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease (also called immunotherapy).
Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for
examination under a microscope to check for cancer cells or other
abnormalities.
Bladder: The hollow organ that stores urine.
Blood count: The amount of white cells, red cells and
platelets in a sample of blood drawn from a patient’s body. An elevation or
decrease in the blood count may indicate infection, anemia, or danger of
excessive bleeding from cuts and injuries.
Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the
pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is produced primarily by the
contraction of the heart muscle. It's measurement is recorded by two numbers. The
first (systolic pressure) is measured after the heart contracts and is highest.
The second (diastolic pressure) is measured before the heart contracts and
lowest. A blood pressure cuff is used to measure the pressure. Elevation of
blood pressure is called "hypertension".
Blood sugar: The
glucose in the blood; also: its concentration (as in milligrams
per 100 milliliters).
Body of the pancreas: The middle part of gland between the neck and the tail. The superior
mesenteric blood vessels run behind this part of the gland.
Bowel: The small and large intestine.
BRCA2: BRCA2 (Breast
Cancer Type 2 susceptibility protein) is a human gene that is involved in
the repair of chromosomal damage and belongs to a class of genes known as
tumor suppressor genes. Tumor suppressor genes regulate the cycle of cell
division by keeping cells from growing and dividing too rapidly or in an
uncontrolled way.
Brush Biopsy: In a brush biopsy, a small brush is
inserted through the endoscope during an ERCP procedure and directly into your
bile duct or pancreatic duct. Cells rub off onto the brush and can be examined
using a microscope.
Bypass: An operation in which the doctor creates a
new pathway for the flow of body fluids.
Sources and Additional Information:
