Medical glossary for healthcare interpreters

T

Tachycardia 

rapid heart beat.

Tachypnea

rapid breathing.

Tamoxifen

an anticancer drug used in hormone therapy to block the effects of estrogen.

Taste

sensation produced by a stimulus applied to the gustatory nerve endings in the tongue; the four tastes include: salt, sour, sweet, and bitter; some say there is a fifth taste described as savory.

Taste buds

groups of cells located on the tongue that enable one to recognize different tastes.

Taste disorder

inability to perceive different flavors.

Technetium bone scan

radiological investigation to detect stress fractures.

Telemetry unit

a small transmitter with wires that attach ecg patches to the chest that is used to send information about the heart, via radio transmission, to healthcare professionals for evaluation.

Temporal arteries

vessels located over the temples on each side of the head that supply blood to part of the head.

Tendon

a cord that connects muscle to bone or other tissue.

Tendonitis

inflammation of a tendon or of the tendon covering; usually caused by not just a single injury, but a series of small stresses that repeatedly aggravate the tendon.

Thallium stress test

a study in which radioactive potassium is carried by the blood; the progress is followed by x-ray pictures.

Thoracotomy

surgery to view the lung (that may be used to confirm cancer), or for chest trauma (to detect the source of bleeding).

Throat disorders

disorders or diseases of the larynx (voice box) or esophagus.

Thrombolysis

the breaking up of a blood clot.

Thrombolytic drugs

medications used to dissolve blood clots.

Thrombosis

an abnormal condition in which a blood clot develops in the blood vessel or in the heart.

Thrombosis, deep-vein

formation of blood clots in veins deep inside the legs.

Thrombus

a blood clot.

Thyroplasty (also called laryngeal frame

surgical technique to improve the voice by altering the cartilages of the larynx.