Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

litho-
Prefix meaning stone, as in lithotomy (an
operation to remove a stone), or lithotripsy (a pro-
cedure to crush a stone).
lithotomy
Surgical removal of a stone.
lithotripsy
A procedure that uses shock waves to
break a stone in the kidney, urinary tract, or gall-
bladder. See 
lithotripsy, extracorporeal shock
wave; lithotripsy, percutaneous nephro-.
lithotripsy, extracorporeal shock wave
A
technique for shattering a kidney stone or gallstone
with a shock wave that is produced outside the body.
Anesthesia may be necessary to control the pain,
depending on the size and density of the stone and
on the energy of the shock wave needed to break it
up. The urologist may opt to place a catheter (stent)
in the ureter from below to facilitate passage of the
shattered fragments. Abbreviated ESWL.
lithotripsy, percutaneous nephro-
A tech-
nique for removing large and/or dense kidney
stones and staghorn stones. Abbreviated PNL. In
PNL, there is no incision; rather, an access port is
created by puncturing the kidney through the skin,
and the port is then enlarged to allow insertion of
instruments to break up and remove stones. The
procedure is done under anesthesia, using real-
time live X-ray control (fluoroscopy). 
lithotriptor
A machine that is used to shatter
kidney stones and gallstones by physical or other
means, such as with shock waves. 
live polio vaccine
See 
polio vaccine, oral.
livedo reticularis
A mottled purplish discol-
oration of the skin. Livedo reticularis can be a nor-
mal condition that is simply more obvious when a
person is exposed to the cold. It can also be an indi-
cator of impaired circulation. Livedo reticularis has
been reported in association with autoimmune dis-
eases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus;
abnormal antibodies referred to as phospholipid
antibodies; and a syndrome featuring phospholipid
antibodies with multiple brain strokes.
liver
The largest solid organ in the body, situated
in the upper part of the abdomen on the right side.
The liver has a multitude of important and complex
functions, including to manufacture proteins,
including albumin (to help maintain the volume of
blood) and blood clotting factors; to synthesize,
store, and process fats, including fatty acids (used
for energy) and cholesterol; to metabolize and store
carbohydrates (used as the source for the sugar in
blood); to form and secrete bile that contains bile
acids to aid in the intestinal absorption of fats and