F is for...

FACET
A flat, platelike surface that acts as part of a joint; as seen in the vertebrae of the spine and in the subtalar joint of the ankle. Each vertebra has two superior and two inferior facets.

FACET ARTHROPATHY
A degenerative disease affecting the facet joint.

FACECTOMY
Excision of an articular facet of a vertebra.

FACET TROPISM
Asymmetrical orientation of the facets comparing right to left side.

FAILURE of SEGMENTATION
Failure of a portion or all of two or more adjoining vertebrae to separate into normal units.

FALX (CEREBRI)
An extension of dura between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

FATIGUE
That state, following a period of mental or bodily activity; characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment, usually accompained by a feeling of weariness, sleepiness, or irritability.

FATIGUE FRACTURE
A fracture that occurs in bone or in other materials. Including metal, as a result of repeated stress as opposed to a single injury.

FENESTRATION (of cyst)
Surgical creation of window-like opening.

FIBROSIS
The replacement of normal tissue with scar tissue.

FIBROMYOSITIS
Chronic inflammation of a muscle with an overgrowth, or hyperplasia, of the connective tissue.

FISSURE
A groove or natural division, deep furrow in the brain.

FLATTENING of NORMAL LUMBAR CURVE
Condition in which the hollow of the back becomes shallow or even straight.

FLEXION
The act of flexing or bending; bending of a joint so as to approximate the parts it connects.

FONTANELLE
Normal openings in the skull of infants; the largest of these is the anterior fontanel or "soft spot" in the middle of the head.

FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION (FDA)The Federal government agency that has regulatory authority over the manufacture, distribution, and labeling of drugs, medical devices, and foods.

FONTANELLES
"Soft spots" of the infant's head, normal unossified areas in the infant skull.

FORAMEN
A natural opening or passage in bone. An opening allowing for the egress of spinal nerve roots from between two vertebrae.

FORAMINOTOMY
Surgical opening or enlargement of the bony opening traversed by a nerve root as it leaves the spinal canal. A procedure carried out alone or in conjunction with disc surgery.

FRACTURE
A disruption of the normal continuity of bone.

FRACTURE-DISLOCATION
Fracture of a bone that is also dislocated from its normal position in a joint.

FUNCTIONAL SCOLIOSIS
Any scoliosis that is caused by leg length or other functional disorder and not by a primary curvature of the spine.

FUNCTIONAL STEREOTACTIC NEUROSURGERY
Surgery intended to improve the function of the central nervous system. A stereotactic head frame is used along with imaging techniques to map the brain and localize the surgical target.

FUSIFORM ANEURYSM
A sausage-like enlargement of the vessel

FUSION
Union or healing of bone (see Arthrodesis).