Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

incisional biopsy
See 
biopsy, incisional.
incompetent cervix
See 
cervix, incompetent.
incontinence
The inability to control excretions,
to hold urine in the bladder, or to keep feces in the
rectum.
incontinence, fecal
See 
encopresis.
incontinence, urinary
See 
enuresis.
incontinent
Unable to control excretions, to
hold urine in the bladder, or to keep feces in the
rectum.
incontinentia pigmenti
One of the genetic dis-
eases known as neurocutaneous disorders, which
cause characteristic patterns of discolored skin and
also involve the brain, eyes, nails, and hair. The dis-
ease is caused by the genomic rearrangement of the
gene for NEMO, or nuclear factor kappa B essential
modulator (IKBKG-IKK gamma). Symptoms include
discolored skin that appears within two weeks of
birth. Neurological abnormalities can include slow
motor development, seizures, mental retardation,
visual problems, and muscle weakness. Other key
features of IP include dental and nail abnormalities.
IP is inherited as an X-linked dominant trait, and
most affected male fetuses do not survive. In females
with IP and certain other X-linked conditions, the X
chromosome with the mutant allele is preferentially
inactivated; this phenomenon is termed nonrandom
(or skewed) X-chromosome inactivation. Also
known as Bloch-Sulzberger syndrome.
index case
A person who first draws attention to
his or her family because of having a medical con-
dition. For example, if an eye doctor discovers a
person has glaucoma, and subsequently other cases
of glaucoma are found in the person’s family, that
person is the index case. Also known as propositus
(if male) or proposita (if female).