V Terms

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Vaccine
See immunization.
Vacuum extraction
The application of a suction cup to the head to deliver the infant. This technique performs a similar function as forceps and helps the baby to ... Read More
Vaginal birth
Delivery of the infant through the birth canal, of which the vagina is a major component. The alternative method would be an operative ... Read More
Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)
A vaginal delivery after a previous cesarean delivery. One of the most common reasons for cesarean sections is the presence of a uterine scar ... Read More
Varicella
The medical name for chicken pox. An acute, communicable, infectious disease, usually contracted by young children. Chicken pox is caused ... Read More
Varicella / Chickenpox Vaccine
Varicella or chickenpox has become the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in US children. Chickenpox is a common infection with ... Read More
Varicocele
A varicocele is a dilated vein or veins around the testicles. It is thought that these dilated veins increase the heat of the testicle and ... Read More
Varicose veins
Dilation of veins, usually in the legs, due to rupturing of the small valves in veins that keep blood from pooling in the vein. Many pregnant ... Read More
Vas deferens
The thin duct, actually a continuation of the epididymis, that runs from each testicle to the prostatic urethra. Sperm travels through these ... Read More
Vasa previa
Vasa previa is when placental vessels/fetal vessels, enmeshed only in a thin membrane--as in "velamentous" insertion of the cord (the ... Read More
Vasectomy
The surgical interruption of the vas deferens, the long thin tube that delivers sperm from the testicles to the urethra. The procedure ... Read More
Vena Cava
The superior vena cava is the large vein which returns blood to the heart from the head, neck, and both upper limbs. The inferior vena cava ... Read More
Ventilator
A machine that assists adults or children to breathe. This most often refers to newborn infants who sometimes have breathing problems so ... Read More
Vernix
Also called vernix caseosa. A cheesy, white substance that covers a baby's skin at birth. The vernix is secreted by the sebaceous glands ... Read More
Vertex
A vertex presentation is the most common and desirable. In this position the baby's head enters the birth canal first.
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