Letter F
FRACTURE
Broken bone.
FREE AIR
Abnormal air in the abdomen. Typically air should be seen only in the bowel (“intestine”). Air outside of bowel can be a sign of perforated (“leaky”) stomach or bowel, which can be a life-threatening condition. Free air can be a normal finding after recent surgery in the abdomen.
FREE FLUID
Water within the abdomen or pelvis that sloshes around freely (i.e. not trapped in one spot). In some cases, it is a normal finding. For example, young female patients can have small amount of free fluid in the pelvis. Other times, it is abnormal. It can be from a number of different causes (both benign and cancerous).
FRONTAL CHEST X-RAY
A standard chest x-ray. This is what most people picture in their minds when they think of a chest x-ray. It can be taken with an AP or PA technique. The other standard chest x-ray is the lateral chest x-ray.
FRONTAL HORN
The front part of the lateral ventricle that looks like the “horns” on a bull.
FRONTAL LOBE
The part of the brain located toward the front of the skull.
FUNDUS
Refers to the part of the organ on the opposite side that is farthest from the opening. For example, fundus of the gallbladder is the rounded part on the opposite side from the opening. In the stomach, however, it refers to the top portion of the stomach.
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