• Sleeve resection

    Also known as a cuff resection. Surgical removal of parts of the lung and reconstruction of the vessels affected by the tumour.

  • Slipped disc material

    Gelatinous to cartilaginous tissue from the intervertebral discs.

  • Sonography

    Medical imaging procedure in which images are generated using sound waves with frequencies above the audible frequency range.

  • SPECT-CT

    Medical imaging with integrated combination of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT). By means of slightly radioactive substances, these methods can be used for the early detection of diseases.

  • Sphincter

    Circular muscle for closing bodily passages or orifices. For example in the anus or at the end of the oesophagus.

  • Spinal anaesthesia

    Epidural or spinal cord anaesthesia. Regional anaesthesia of part of the body so that an operation can be performed.

  • Spinal canal

    Vertebral canal. The hollow passage in the spine formed by the foramen of the vertebrae through which the spinal cord runs.

  • Spinal stenosis

    Narrowing of the vertebral canal (spinal canal) due to wear and tear of the discs and vertebrae. It results in the proliferation of bone in the canal.

  • Split-thickness skin graft

    A very fine layer of the patient’s own skin is removed and used to cover a wound with a large surface area. To increase the area it can cover, apertures are made onto the graft, allowing it to be pulled out like a net.

  • Spondylodesis

    Surgical fusing of two or more vertebrae in the spine. Used to stabilise the spine.

  • Staging

    lassification of tumours. It includes the size and spread of the tumour.