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lesion

 
Dictionary: le·sion   ('zhən) pronunciation
n.
  1. A wound or injury.
  2. A localized pathological change in a bodily organ or tissue.
  3. An infected or diseased patch of skin.
tr.v., -sioned, -sion·ing, -sions.
To cause a lesion to form on or in.

[Middle English lesioun, from Old French lesion, from Latin laesiō, laesiōn-, from laesus, past participle of laedere, to injure.]


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World of the Body: lesion
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A structural abnormality of any type in some part of the body. A lesion may be congenital (present from birth) or subsequently acquired. Within the acquired category a lesion may be traumatic (wound, burn, fracture), inflammatory (infective or toxic) degenerative (e.g. osteoarthritis, arteriosclerosis), or neoplastic (benign or malignant growth).

— Stuart Judge

Dental Dictionary: lesion
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(lē'zhən)
n

Any pathologic disturbance of a tissue, with loss of continuity, enlargement, and/or function.

Any discontinuity in a tissue or loss of function of a body part, occurring as a result of damage by disease or wounding. Lesions range from sores and ulcers to tumours.

Any pathological or traumatic discontinuity of tissue or loss of function of a part. Lesion is a broad term, including wounds, sores, ulcers, tumors, cataracts and any other tissue damage. They range from the skin sores associated with eczema to the changes in lung tissue that occur in tuberculosis.

Terms describing distribution of lesions. By permission from Slauson DO, Cooper BJ, Mechanisms of Disease: A Textbook of Comparative General Pathology, Mosby, 2001

  • target l. — see target lesion.
Word Tutor: lesion
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A sore or wound on some part of the body.

pronunciation The lesion on the cat's leg healed nicely after the visit to the veterinarian.

Wikipedia: Lesion
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A lesion is any abnormal tissue found on or in an organism, usually damaged by disease or trauma. Lesion is derived from the Latin word laesio which means injury.

Contents

Causes of lesions

Lesions are caused by any process that damages tissues. A cancerous tumor is an example of a lesion, however the surrounding tissue damaged by a tumor is also a lesion. Trauma, including electrocution and chemical burns can also cause lesions. Certain diseases present lesions, for example the skin deformities caused by chicken pox. Lesions can also be caused by metabolic processes, like an ulcer or autoimmune activity, as in the case with many forms of arthritis.

Lesions are sometimes intentionally inflicted during neurosurgery, such as the carefully-placed brain lesion used to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders. (See Ablative brain surgery.)

Note that lesions are not limited to animals or humans; damaged plants are said to have lesions.

Types of lesions

Because the definition of lesion is so broad, the varieties of lesions are virtually endless. They are subsequently classified by their features. If a lesion is caused by cancer it will be classified as malignant versus benign. Lesions may be classified by the shape they form, as is the case with many ulcers, which can have a bullseye or 'target' appearance. Their size may be specified as gross or histologic depending on whether they are visible to the unaided eye or require a microscope to see.

An additional classification that is sometimes used is based on whether or not a lesion occupies space. A space occupying lesion, as the name suggests, occupies space and may impinge on nearby structures, whereas a non space occupying lesion is simply a hole in the tissue, e.g. a small area of the brain that has turned to fluid following a stroke.

Some lesions have specialized names, like the Gohn lesions in the lungs of tuberculosis victims. The characteristic skin lesions of a varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection are called chickenpox. Lesions of the teeth are usually called dental caries.

Finally, lesions are often classified by their location. For example, compare a 'skin lesion' versus a 'brain lesion'.

See also

External links


Translations: Lesion
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - læsion, kvæstelse, lædering, skade

Nederlands (Dutch)
verwonding, kwetsuur, beschadiging, stoornis, laesie, benadeling (juridisch)

Français (French)
n. - blessure

Deutsch (German)
n. - (Med.) Läsion, Verletzung, krankhafte Veränderung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κάκωση, βλάβη, πληγή, χτύπημα

Italiano (Italian)
ferita

Português (Portuguese)
n. - lesão (f), dano (m)

Русский (Russian)
поражение, лезия, ущерб

Español (Spanish)
n. - lesión

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - skada, förfång, organskada, sjuklig förändring

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
损害, 身体上的伤害

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 損害, 身體上的傷害

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 손상 , 외상, 정신적 장애

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 障害, 病変, 精神的傷害, 損害, 傷害
v. - 障害を起こさせる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أذى, ضرر, آفه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פצע, פגיעה, נזק, שינוי חולני בתיפקוד או במבנה של איבר‬


 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
World of the Body. The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
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