Stomach cramps
A nonmedical term most often used to describe pain in the mid- or upper abdominal area. Abdominal pain (pain in the belly) can come from conditions affecting a variety of organs and does not necessarily arise from the stomach even though an individual may perceive that pain is originating in the stomach. Various organs can be the source of pain in the upper abdomen, including the small intestine, colon, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.
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- Stomach emptying study
Also called a gastric emptying study, this test evaluates the emptying of food from the stomach. For a gastric emptying study, a patient eats a meal in which the solid food, liquid food or both are mixed with a small amount of radioactive material. A scanner (acting like a Geiger counter) is placed over the […]
- Stomach fat (belly fat, abdominal fat)
fat tissue deposited in the midsection of the body around the abdominal organs. Studies have shown that an increased amount of belly fat is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and early death. Two measurements, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, have been used by researchers to identify those with increased […]
- Stomach flu
A gastrointestinal illness caused by a microorganism. Stomach flu is not related to the influenza (flu) virus.
- Stomach paralysis
Formally called gastroparesis, this is a medical condition in which the muscle of the stomach is paralyzed by a disease of either the stomach muscle itself or the nerves controlling the muscle. As a consequence, food and secretions do not empty normally from the stomach, and there is nausea and vomiting. Gastroparesis may be associated […]
- Stomach, Pavlov
A pouch fashioned surgically from part of the stomach (but isolated from the rest of the stomach) that opens via a fistula (canal) on to the abdominal wall. At different points along the dogs’ digestive tracts, the Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1848-1936) surgically created pockets (“Pavlov pouches”) from which he could obtain secretions, the […]