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Globetrotter's Pocket Doc - the only English international medical communication book for travelers to foreign countries
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- Lactase:
- An enzyme used by the small intestine to breakdown lactose into shorter more absorbable substances.
- Lactase deficiency:
- The lack of the lactase enzyme. This is the etiology of lactose intolerance.
- Lactose:
- The sugar found in milk. Lactose is broken down by lactase to form galactose and glucose which are then absorbed by the small intestine.
- Lactose intolerance:
- The inability to digest lactose because of the deficiency of the lactase enzyme. This condition occurs because the body does not produce enough the enzyme. It may be acquired or genetic. It is common in northern European Caucasians.
- Lactose tolerance test:
- A test for the lactase deficiency. Patients drink liquid which contains milk sugar. The patient's blood is then tested. If the test measures a certain amount of milk sugar in the blood is indicative of the presence of lactase.
- Laparoscope:
- A surgical procedure where a video camera is used to evaluate the peritoneum. It can be used in various forms to remove the gallbladder, parts of the colon, and perform a fundoplication.
- Laparoscopic cholecystectomy:
- An operation remove the gallbladder using a laparascope.
- Laparoscopy:
- The test which uses the laparoscope to look at and take tissue biopsies from the inside of the body.
- Laparotomy:
- An evaluation of the abdomen which requires an incision in the abdominal wall.
- Laxatives:
- A group of medicines which are used to relieve constipation.
- Levator Syndrome:
- A condition in which patients experience rectal/anal pain similar to that of a anal fissure. The cause of the pain is usually spasm of the anal sphincter muscles.
- Liver:
- The largest internal organ of the body. It carries out detoxification and synthetic functions.
- Liver enzyme test:
- A series of blood tests which evaluate the function of the hepatobiliary system. These tests include ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, bilirubin, PT, GGT and bilirubin levels.
- Liver function tests:
- See liver enzyme test.
- Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES):
- The muscle lying at the end of the esophagus and opening of the stomach. This muscle is used to keep acid in the stomach and out of the esophagus. It relaxes normally secondary to neurologic input when the patient swallows. In its normal state the LES is contracted (closed).
- Lower GI series:
- See barium enema. X-rays of the rectum colon and lower part of small intestine.
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