What you usually call your stomach. To your doctor, it refers to the digestive, urinary, and reproductive organs in the cavity from the diaphragm to the pelvis.

American Board of Medical Specialties. The not-for-profit organization that oversees certification of physicians in their specialties.

Suture that dissolves.

Credential showing that a health care facility has met high standards for performance and safety.

Severe and short-term, not chronic (as in an illness).

Fibrous band of scar tissue that can form anytime after an abdominal operation. It can bind organs or other internal body structures.

Physician’s right to admit patients to a hospital.

Pair of glands on the kidneys that produce hormones that control important functions, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and the body’s response to stress.

Legal document to be used for health care decisions when someone cannot speak for himself or herself. See living will and power of attorney for health care.

Unfavorable, unwanted, as in effects of a drug or complications of a procedure.