Prosthesis

Prosthesis
: An artificial substitute or replacement of a part of the body such as a tooth, eye, a facial bone, the palate, a hip, a knee or another joint, the leg, an arm, etc. A prosthesis is designed for functional or cosmetic reasons or both. A prosthesis may be removable, as in the case of most prosthetic legs or a prosthetic breast form used after mastectomy. A person who uses a removable prosthesis -— for example, an artificial hand -— may want to have more than one available for different types of tasks. Other types of prosthetic devices are permanently implanted, like an artificial hip, testicle or tooth. With advances in the biomedical sciences, a few experimental prostheses have been integrated with body tissues, including the nervous system. These highly advanced devices can respond to commands from the central nervous system, more closely approximating normal movement and utility. An auditory prosthesis is a device that substitutes for or enhances the ability to hear. It is more commonly called a hearing aide. The word "prosthesis" comes via New Latin from the Greek "prostithenai" meaning "to add to, or to put in addition." The plural of prosthesis is prostheses.
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Fabricated substitute for a damaged or missing part of the body. [G. an addition]
- auditory p. generic term for implantable devices to restore sound perception to the deaf, the most common of which is the cochlear implant; a brainstem implant to stimulate the neurons of the cochlear nucleus is under development.
- cardiac valve p. valve (2).
- cochlear p. SYN: cochlear implant.
- definitive p. a dental p. to be used over a prescribed period of time.
- dental p. an artificial replacement of one or more teeth and/or associated structures. SEE ALSO: denture.
- heart valve p. replacement of a cardiac valve removed for disease by either a mechanical or a biologically derived artificial valve.
- hybrid p. SYN: overlay denture.
- mandibular guide p. a p. with an extension designed to direct a resected mandible into a functional relation with the maxilla.
- ocular p. an artificial eye or implant.
- penile p. device placed inside penis to correct erectile failure.
- provisional p. an interim dental p. worn for varying periods of time.
- surgical p. an appliance prepared as an aid or as a part of a surgical procedure, such as a heart valve, cranial plate, or artificial joint replacement.
- testicular p. SYN: testicular implant.
- tilting disk valve p. a low-profile artificial heart valve employing a caged disk that tilts to open during systole.

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pros·the·sis präs-'thē-səs, 'präs-thə- n, pl -the·ses -.sēz an artificial device to replace or augment a missing or impaired part of the body <a dental \prosthesis> <silicone breast and limb prostheses>

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n. (pl. prostheses)
any artificial device that is attached to the body as an aid. Prostheses include bridges, dentures, artificial parts of the face, artificial limbs, hearing aids and cochlear implants, implanted pacemakers, and many other substitutes for parts of the body that are missing or nonfunctional. Penile prostheses are malleable, semirigid, or inflatable rods inserted into the corpora cavernosa of the penis to produce rigidity sufficient for vaginal penetration in men with impotence.
prosthetic adj.

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pros·the·sis (pros-theґsis) pl. prostheґses [Gr. “a putting to”] an artificial substitute for a missing body part, such as an upper limb, lower limb, eye, or tooth, used for functional or cosmetic reasons, or both.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • prosthesis — 1550s, addition of a letter or syllable to a word, from L.L., from Gk. prosthesis addition, from prostithenai add to, from pros to + tithenai to put, place (see THEME (Cf. theme)). Meaning artificial body part is first recorded 1706 …   Etymology dictionary

  • prosthesis — [präs′thə sis; ] for 2, usually [ präs thē′sis] n. [LL < Gr prosthesis < prostithenai < pros, to, at + tithenai, to place, DO1] 1. var. of PROTHESIS (sense 1) 2. pl. prostheses [prästhē′sēz΄] Med …   English World dictionary

  • Prosthesis — Pros the*sis, n. [L., fr. Gr. ? an addition, fr. ? to put to, to add; ? to + ? to put, place.] 1. (Surg.) The addition to the human body of some artificial part, to replace one that is wanting, as a log or an eye; called also {prothesis}. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Prosthĕsis — (gr.), 1) das Hinzufügen eines Buchstabens zu Anfange eines Wortes, z.B. gnatus st. natus; 2) der Theil der Chirurgie, der etwas Fehlendes wieder ersetzt, die künstliche Ansetzung eines Gliedes …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Prosthesis — Prosthesis, griech., Verlängerung eines Wortes durch Zusetzung einer Silbe; in der Medicin die künstliche Ansetzung eines fehlenden Körpertheiles …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • prosthesis — ► NOUN (pl. prostheses) ▪ an artificial body part. DERIVATIVES prosthetic adjective. ORIGIN Greek, from prostithenai add …   English terms dictionary

  • Prosthesis — For other uses, see Prosthesis (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Orthotic. A man with two prosthetic arms playing table football …   Wikipedia

  • prosthesis — prosthetic /pros thet ik/, adj. prosthetically, adv. /pros thee sis/ for 1; /pros theuh sis/ for 2, n., pl. prostheses / seez/ for 1; / seez / for 2. 1. a device, either external or implanted, that substitutes for or supplements a missing or… …   Universalium

  • prosthesis — [[t]prɒsθi͟ːsɪs[/t]] prostheses N COUNT A prosthesis is an artificial body part that is used to replace a natural part. [MEDICAL] The woman whose leg had been amputated could get a prosthesis and learn to walk on it …   English dictionary

  • prosthesis — UK [prɒsˈθiːsɪs] / US [prɑsˈθɪsɪs] noun [countable] Word forms prosthesis : singular prosthesis plural prostheses UK [prɒsˈθiːsiːz] / US [prɑsˈθɪsɪz] medical an artificial body part …   English dictionary

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