Indeterminate

Indeterminate (pronunciation: /ɪndɪˈtɜːmɪnət/) is a term used in various fields of medicine to describe a condition or result that is not clearly defined or categorized.

Etymology

The term "indeterminate" originates from the Latin word "indeterminatus", which means not fixed or determined.

Definition

In the medical context, "indeterminate" is often used to describe a diagnostic result that is unclear or inconclusive. This could be due to a variety of reasons, such as insufficient data, conflicting results, or the presence of unusual or unexpected findings.

Related Terms

Indeterminate lesion: A term used to describe an abnormal area detected in an imaging study that cannot be definitively classified as benign or malignant based on its imaging characteristics alone.
Indeterminate colitis: A type of Inflammatory bowel disease where it is unclear whether the condition is Crohn's disease or Ulcerative colitis.
Indeterminate test result: A term used when a diagnostic test does not provide a clear positive or negative result.

Usage in Medicine

In medicine, the term "indeterminate" is often used in the context of diagnostic testing. For example, a patient may receive an "indeterminate" result on a Biopsy if the pathologist is unable to definitively classify the tissue sample as benign or malignant. Similarly, a radiologist may describe a lesion as "indeterminate" if its characteristics on an imaging study are not clearly benign or malignant.