ICD-9:  A coding system that provides a number for each type of medical diagnosis.

 

IDET:  Intradiscal Electrothermy.  A process in which a wire is placed into the intervertebral disc to attempt to melt and repair an annular tear.

 

iliac arteries:  The large arteries in the pelvis that start at the low end of the aorta and become the major arteries leading into each leg.

 

iliac crest bone graft:  A bone graft taken from the hipbone, or iliac crest.

 

iliac veins:  The two large veins that feed from each of the legs into the inferior vena cava in the low abdomen, the largest vein of the body.

 

impingement syndrome:  Abnormal joint function, such as in the shoulder or knee.

 

incentive spirometer:  A device used by a patient after surgery to exercise and expand the lungs to prevent pneumonia and treat atelectasis.

 

indemnity plan:  A type of medical insurance in which payment is made for individual medical charges as they arise.

 

inferior:  Lower in the body, towards the feet.

 

inflammation:  A natural process in the body in which there is local irritation, heat, redness, and typically pain.

 

informed consent:  An agreement by a patient to allow a practitioner to perform a procedure in which the patient understands what is to be done to the best reasonable level.

 

innervate:  Effect of a nerve reaching  muscle or skin that provides movement or sensation.

 

instrumentation, spinal:  Screws, rods, plates, and other devices used to hold spinal elements in place during or after surgery.

 

interbody implant:  Device, made either of bone, metal or synthetic materials, that is used to replace an intervertebral disc.

 

intercostal nerves:  Nerves that commence in the thoracic spine and travel under the inferior margin of a rib around to the front of the body.

 

intradiscal electrothermy:  See IDET.

 

intradiscal injection:  See discogram.

 

intradural:  Inside the dura membranes.

 

intraoperative X-rays:  X-rays taken during surgery.

 

intravenous sedation:  Sedating medication given through the blood stream to allow a patient to tolerate a procedure but without producing a full general anesthesia requiring intubation.

 

iodine:  An element used for intravenous contrast and X-ray studies.

 

isometric:  Maintaining the length of a muscle while the tension changes.