Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

Partial or complete obstruction of the
airway, usually due to the presence of food, a toy, or
another foreign body in the upper throat or trachea.
See also 
airway obstruction.
cholangiogram
A radiology procedure used to
look at the gallbladder and bile ducts.
cholangitis, primary sclerosing
See 
primary
sclerosing cholangitis.
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cholangitis, primary sclerosing
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cholecystectomy
Surgical removal of the gall-
bladder. This procedure may be done by
laparoscopy or by open surgery.
cholecystitis
Inflammation of the gallbladder.
Cholecystitis is a complication of gallstones, and it is
frequently associated with infection in the gallblad-
der. Risk factors for cholecystitis include age, obe-
sity, female gender, multiple pregnancies, use of
birth control pills, and heredity. The most common
symptom is pain in the upper abdomen, although
some patients have no symptoms. Diagnosis can be
made with ultrasound of the abdomen. Surgery
(standard or laparoscopic) is considered for
patients with severe cholecystitis. In some mild
cases, medication may be used instead to treat 
the infection and inflammation and to dissolve the
gallstones.
cholera
An infectious disease characterized by
intense vomiting and profuse watery diarrhea and
that rapidly leads to dehydration and often death.
Cholera is caused by infection with the bacteria
Vibrio cholerae, which may be transmitted via
infected fecal matter, food, or water. With modern
sanitation, cholera is no longer as common as it
once was, but epidemics still occur whenever peo-
ple must live in crowded and unsanitary conditions,
such as in refugee camps. The disease is treated
with intravenous fluids and with antibiotics. Cholera
has also been known as Asian cholera, due to its
one-time prevalence in that area of the world.