Glossary of Medical Terms

In medicine, refers to the area inside a tube, duct, or hollow organ in the body. Examples are a blood vessel, the stomach, or the intestines.

A balloon-shaped structure filled with fluid in the inner ear. The fluid in the endolymphatic sac surrounds and protects the structures in the inner ear that affect hearing and balance. When pressure in the inner ear builds, the endolymphatic sac releases fluid to relieve the pressure. The endolymphatic sac also removes extra fluid and waste products from the inner ear and is involved in the inner ear’s immune response to foreign substances.

Having to do with the endometrium (the layer of tissue that lines the uterus).

A procedure in which a sample of tissue is taken from the endometrium (inner lining of the uterus) for examination under a microscope. A thin tube is inserted through the cervix into the uterus, and gentle scraping and suction are used to remove the sample.

Cancer that forms in the tissue lining the uterus (the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis in which a fetus develops). Most endometrial cancers are adenocarcinomas (cancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids).

Abnormal cell growth in the endometrium (the lining of the uterus).

An abnormal overgrowth of the endometrium (the layer of cells that lines the uterus). There are four types of endometrial hyperplasia: simple endometrial hyperplasia, complex endometrial hyperplasia, simple endometrial hyperplasia with atypia, and complex endometrial hyperplasia with atypia. These differ in terms of how abnormal the cells are and how likely it is that the condition will become cancer.

A benign condition in which tissue that looks like endometrial tissue grows in abnormal places in the abdomen.

The layer of tissue that lines the uterus.

A medical device that tests to see if endothelial cells are damaged. Endothelial cells line the inner walls of blood vessels, lymph vessels, and the heart, and damage to them may be an early sign of heart disease. EndoPat looks for heart disease by using sensors that measure blood flow through a patient’s fingers. It is also being used to check blood vessels in patients treated for breast cancer. Also called Endo-Pat 2000.