Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

caesarean section
A procedure in which an
infant is surgically removed from the uterus rather
than being born vaginally. Caesarean sections were
performed in ancient civilizations to salvage babies
upon the death of nearly full-term pregnant women.
Julius Caesar is said to have been born by this pro-
cedure, hence the name. The term section in sur-
gery refers to the division of tissue. In the case of a
caesarean section, the abdominal wall of the mother
and the wall of the uterus are divided in order to
extract the baby. Also known as C-section.
caesarean section, lower segment
A cae-
sarean section in which the surgical incision is
made in the lower segment of the uterus.
Abbreviated LSCS.
caesarean section, vaginal birth after
A vagi-
nal delivery for a woman who previously had a cae-
sarean section. It was once the rule that after a
caesarean section, the next delivery also had to be
by caesarean section. Now vaginal delivery after cae-
sarean section is sometimes feasible. Age is one of
the factors that need to be considered because
women over 30 who try a vaginal delivery after a
caesarean section are more likely than younger
women to have a uterine rupture. Abbreviated
VBAC.
café au lait spot
A flat spot on the skin that has
a color similar to that of coffee with milk (café au
lait) in persons with light skin or that has a darker
appearance than the surrounding skin in persons
with dark skin. About 10 percent of the general
population has café au lait spots, which can be
removed with a Yag laser technique. Café au lait
spots are normally harmless, but in some cases they
are a sign of neurofibromatosis. The presence of six
or more café au lait spots, each of which is 1.5 cm
or more in diameter, is diagnostic of neurofibro-
matosis. See also 
neurofibromatosis; Yag laser
surgery.