Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

syphilis, congenital
Infection of a fetus or new-
born with syphilis. Syphilis in a fetus can cause defor-
mity, particularly of the long bones, or death. Syphilis
infection acquired at birth is also dangerous. See also
TORCH screen.
syphilis test, RPR
Rapid plasma reagin syphilis
test, a blood test for syphilis that looks for an anti-
body that is present in the bloodstream when a
patient has syphilis. A negative (nonreactive) RPR
test is compatible with a person not having syphilis,
but in the early stages of the disease, the RPR often
gives false negative results. Conversely, a false posi-
tive RPR can be encountered in a patient with infec-
tious mononucleosis, lupus, antiphospholipid
syndrome, hepatitis A, leprosy, malaria, or, occa-
sionally, pregnancy. See also 
syphilis; VDRL test.
syphilis test, VDRL
See 
VDRL test.
syringe
A medical device that is used to inject
fluid into, or withdraw fluid from, the body. A med-
ical syringe consists of a needle attached to a hollow
cylinder that is fitted with a sliding plunger. The
downward movement of the plunger injects fluid;
upward movement withdraws fluid. Medical
syringes were once made of metal or glass, and
required cleaning and sterilization before they
could be used again. Now most syringes used in
medicine are plastic and disposable.
syringoma
A benign (noncancerous) skin tumor
that derives from eccrine cells, specialized cells
related to sweat glands. The skin lesions of
syringoma usually appear during puberty or adult
life, and consist of small bumps 1 to 3 mm in diam-
eter that form under the surface of the skin. The
most frequent site is the eyelids and around the eyes,
but other areas of the body can also be affected.
Syringomas more frequently affect women than men,
and they have a hereditary basis in some cases. They
are also associated with Down syndrome, Marfan
syndrome, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.