Posterior
The back or behind, as opposed to the anterior.
For a more complete listing of terms used in medicine for spatial orientation, please see the entry to “Anatomic Orientation Terms”.
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- Posterior chamber
The space in the eye behind the iris and in front of the lens. (The iris is the colored ring of tissue that regulates the amount of light entering the eye by adjusting the size of the pupil. The lens is the transparent biconvex body in the eye that refracts light. By “biconvex” is meant […]
- Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)
The knee is a joint which has three parts. The thigh bone (femur) meets the large shin bone (tibia) forming the main knee joint. This joint has an inner (medial) and an outer (lateral) compartment. The kneecap (patella) and the femur form a third joint, called the patellofemoral joint. The meniscus is a c-shaped cartilage […]
- Posterior pituitary
The back portion of the pituitary, a small gland in the head called the master gland. The posterior pituitary secretes the hormone oxytocin which increases uterine contractions and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) which increases reabsorption of water by the tubules of the kidney. Underproduction of ADH results in a disorder called diabetes insipidus characterized by inability […]
- Posterior urethral valves Medical Definition
McGraw-Hill Professional, 2012.
- Posteroanterior
From back to front. A chest x-ray taken with the chest against the film plate and the x-ray machine behind the patient is a posteroanterior (PA) view. As opposed to anteroposterior (AP). For a more complete listing of terms used in medicine for spatial orientation, please see the entry to “Anatomic Orientation Terms”.