Artifact Health Dictionary

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Artifact: From 1 Different Sources

(artefact) n. 1. (in radiography) an appearance on an image that is not a true representation of the patient’s body part. The cause may be a problem with the radiographic technique or something more straightforward. For example, a movement artifact is blurring of the image due to movement of the patient or organ during the exposure. All imaging techniques, including CT and MRI, are susceptible to a range of artifacts. See also partial volume artifact. 2. (in microscopy) a structure seen in a tissue under a microscope that is not present in the living tissue. Artifacts, which are produced by faulty *fixation or staining of the tissue, may give a false impression that disease or abnormality is present in the tissue when it is not.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Artifact (artefact)

A foreign body found in living tissue viewed under a microscope. It is usually caused by faulty preparation of a specimen, with the result that disease or abnormality seems to be present.

Arti?cial Insemination

In this method of fertilisation, SEMEN is collected either by the husband (AIH) or by a donor (AID) through masturbation and introduced into the cervix (neck of the womb) by means of an instrument around the time of OVULATION.

AIH is thought to be particularly useful for men with retrograde ejaculation or erectile IMPOTENCE. AID may be considered when the partner’s sperm count is either very low or zero.

Insemination can be made with fresh or frozen semen. Donors should be tested for sexually transmitted diseases and their identity remain unknown to the infertile couple. The pregnancy rate over six months is 50–60 per cent. Arti?cial insemination is usually done at specially sta?ed centres with facilities to store semen and provide the individuals involved with appropriate counselling. Success rates are up to 70 per cent with fresh semen (used over a six-month period) and over 50 per cent with frozen semen.... artifact (artefact)

Partial Volume Artifact

an apparent decrease in the visibility of a structure in a *cross-sectional imaging technique, such as CT or MRI, when either the thickness of the object is much less than that of the slice being used to make the image, or the object is only partially imaged within the slice. See artifact.... partial volume artifact

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