spot
[spot] a circumscribed area or place, usually distinguished by its color; see also
macula and
tache.
actual focal spot the section of a focal spot on which there is intersection of an electron beam with an anode of an x-ray tube.
Bitot's s's foamy gray triangular spots of keratinized epithelium on the conjunctivae, a sign of vitamin A deficiency.
cherry-red spot the choroid appearing as a red circular area surrounded by gray-white retina, as viewed throught the fovea centralis in
tay-sachs disease. Called also
Tay's spot.
cotton-wool spot white or gray soft-edged opacities in the retina composed of cytoid bodies; seen in hypertensive retinopathy, lupus erythematosus, and numerous other conditions.
effective focal spot the size of a projected focal spot in a specified direction measured with a quality assurance test tool such as the slit camera.
focal spot 1. the object of a patient's gaze during distraction techniques.
2. a small area of an x-ray target that receives the main electron stream.
Forschheimer s's a fleeting skin eruption consisting of discrete rose spots on the soft palate sometimes seen in rubella just prior to the onset of the skin rash.
Koplik's s's small, irregular, bright red spots on the buccal and lingual mucosa, with a minute bluish white speck in the center of each; they are pathognomonic of beginning measles.
mongolian spot a type of congenital brown to gray-blue nevus; see also
mongolian spot.
Roth's s's round or oval white spots consisting of coagulated fibrin seen in the retina in a number of diseases in which a vascular insult resulting in hemorrhage is followed by healing.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.