per-

(Latin: through, across, over; beyond, by means of)

perceptive (adjective), more perceptive, most perceptive
percipience (s) (noun), percipiences (pl)
percipient (s) (noun), percipients (pl)
percoct
Well-cooked; overdone.
percolate
percolating
percolation
percolator
percuss
1. To gently tap a part of a patient's body in order to diagnose an illness or condition.
2. To perform percussion by striking, for example, the thoracic or abdominal wall, thereby producing sound vibrations that aid in medical diagnosis.
percussion
1. The group of musical instruments that produce sound by being struck, including drums and cymbals, or the section of the orchestra playing such instruments.
2. The striking or detonating of a percussion cap in a firearm.
3. The impact of one object striking another, or the noise or shock created when two objects hit each other.
4. In medicine, an assessment method in which the surface of the body is struck with the fingertips to obtain sounds that can be heard or vibrations that can be felt.

It can determine the position, size, and consistency of an internal organ. It is done over the chest to determine the presence of normal air content in the lungs, and over the abdomen to evaluate air in the loops of the intestine.

percussive
Having the effect of an impact or a blow.
percussively
Relating to, or characterized by percussion.
percussophilist (s) (noun), percussophilists (pl)
A person fond of old guns: Mike's father was a percussophilist who was very interested in old firearms and had a small collection of them in a locked cabinet in his home.
percutaneous
1. A reference to medication that is administered or absorbed through the skin.
2. Through the unbroken skin; such as, medications applied directly to the skin (creams or ointments) or in time-release forms (skin patches).
3. Through the skin, as in a percutaneous biopsy.
percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) (s) (noun), percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomies (pl)
1. A method used for long-term tube feeding, in which a tube is inserted through the chest wall into the stomach under endoscopic guidance.
2. Artificial feeding through a tube passed through the skin into the stomach.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is a surgical procedure for placing a feeding tube, but it does not necessitate doing an open laparotomy (operation on the abdomen).

The aim of PEG (as with any gastrostomy) is to feed those who can not normally swallow their food. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy may be done by a surgeon, otolaryngologist, or a gastroenterologist. It is usually done in a hospital or outpatient surgical facility.

See gavage for information about a similar procedure.