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 stright.
FLEXION – The act of flexing or bending; bending of a joint so as to approximate the parts it connects.
FONTANELLE – Normal openings in he 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).