Bma Illustrated Medical Dictionary

kidney transplant An operation in

which a person with chronic kidney fail-

urereceives a healthy kidney, either from

a living donor or a cadaver. One donor

kidney is sufficient to maintain the

health of the recipient. The new kidney is

placed in the pelvis through an incision

in the abdomen and carefully positioned

so that it can be connected easily to a

nearby vein and artery and to the blad-

der. The diseased kidneys are left in place.

The transplant avoids the need for dia-

lysisand often allows a return to normal

lifestyle. Kidney transplantation is more

straightforward and common than the

transplantation of any other major organ.

kidney tumoursGrowths in the kidney.

Kidney tumours may be cancerous (see

kidney cancer) or noncancerous. Noncan-

cerous ones, such as fibromas,lipomas,

and leiomyomas, are often symptomless,

although a haemangioma(composed of

a collection of blood vessels) may grow

very large and cause blood to appear in

the urine. Treatment is usually not need-

ed for noncancerous tumours unless they

are large or painful, in which case they

may be surgically removed.

kilocalorie The unit of energy equal to

1,000 calories, abbreviated to kcal. In

dietetics, a kilocalorie is sometimes re-

ferred to simply as a Calorie (or C).

kilojouleThe unit of energy equal to

1,000 joules, abbreviated to kJ. One kcal

(see kilocalorie) equals 4.2 kJ.

kiss of lifeA commonly used name for

artificial respiration.

kleptomaniaA recurring inability to

resist impulses to steal, often without

any desire for the stolen objects. The con-

dition is usually a sign of an immature

personality. It is sometimes associated

with depression, and may also result from

dementiaor some forms of brain damage.

Klinefelter’s syndromeA chromoso-

mal abnormalityin which a male has 1,

or occasionally more, extra X chromo-

somes in his cells, giving a complement

of XXY instead of XY. The risk of a baby

having the condition increases with

maternal age. Features of the syndrome

vary in severity and may not become

apparent until puberty, when gynaeco-

mastia(breast enlargement) occurs and

the testesremain small. Affected males

are usually infertile (see infertility). They

tend to be tall and thin with a female

body shape and absence of body hair.

Incidence of learning difficultiesis high-

er in people with Klinefelter’s syndrome

than in the general population. There is

no cure for the disorder, but hormonal

treatment can induce secondary sexual

characteristics,and mastectomymay be

used to treat gynaecomastia.

Klumpke’s paralysisParalysisof the

lower arm, with wasting of the small

muscles in the hand, and numbness of

the fingers (excluding the thumb) and

of the inside of the forearm. Klumpke’s

paralysis is caused by injury to the 1st

thoracic nerve (one of the spinal nerves)

in the brachial plexus, which is usually

the result of dislocationof the shoulder.

kneeThe hinge jointbetween the femur

(thighbone) and tibia(shin). The patella

(kneecap) lies across the front of the

joint. Two protective discs of cartilage

called menisci (see meniscus) cover the

surfaces of the femur and tibia to reduce

friction. Bursas(fluid-filled sacs) are

present above and below the patella

and behind the knee. External ligaments

on each side of the joint provide sup-

port. Cruciate ligamentswithin the joint

prevent overstraightening and overben-

ding of the knee. The quadriceps muscles

on the front of the thigh straighten the

knee; the hamstring musclesat the back

of the thigh bend it.

KIDNEY TRANSPLANT KNEE

K

Transplanted

artery and vein

KIDNEY TRANSPLANT

Transplanted

kidney

Nonfunctioning

kidneys

SITE OF

INCISION

Transplanted

ureter

Bladder