PLAB Vocabulary: Clinical English for UK Practice
PLAB checks that you can practise safely in the UK. Much of that is clinical knowledge you already have, expressed in the vocabulary of UK practice.
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PLAB is the test the General Medical Council uses for many international medical graduates. PLAB 1 is a written paper of clinical scenarios, and PLAB 2 is a practical exam with simulated patients. Neither is an English test, but both are written and spoken in the language of UK medicine, from centile charts to safety-netting advice.
The words below are clinical terms and phrases a UK doctor uses daily: signs and conditions you will read in a stem, procedures you may need to explain, and the plain-language phrases that make a consultation work. Each comes with an example sentence written the way a clinician would say it.
40 words to know
Cardiology
ectopic adjective
Arising from a site in the heart other than the normal pacemaker.
The Holter recording showed frequent ectopic beats but no sustained arrhythmia.
embolism noun
The blockage of a blood vessel by a clot or other material that has travelled from elsewhere in the body.
The clot in her leg broke off and caused a pulmonary embolism.
heave noun
A sustained, forceful outward lift of the chest wall felt over an enlarged ventricle.
She felt a left parasternal heave and suspected right ventricular strain.
infarction noun
Tissue death (necrosis) caused by a sustained interruption of its blood supply.
Persistent ST elevation confirmed a transmural myocardial infarction of the anterior wall.
jugular adjective
Relating to the large veins of the neck.
His jugular venous pressure was raised to the earlobes.
lipoprotein noun
A particle of fat and protein that carries cholesterol in the blood.
Low-density lipoprotein carries cholesterol into the arterial wall, where it drives plaque formation.
shunt noun
An abnormal passage that diverts blood from one circulation or chamber to another.
Bubble contrast confirmed a right-to-left shunt across the atrial septum.
stenosis noun
An abnormal narrowing of a valve orifice or of a blood vessel.
Severe aortic stenosis produced an ejection-systolic murmur radiating to the carotids.
Diagnosis
etiology noun
The cause or set of causes of a disease.
The etiology of the fever stayed unclear for days.
metastasis noun
The spread of cancer to a new part of the body.
By diagnosis the metastasis had reached the liver.
pathogenesis noun
The manner in which a disease develops.
Researchers mapped the pathogenesis of the infection.
Anatomy
atrophy noun
Wasting away of muscle or tissue from disuse or disease.
Weeks in a cast left visible atrophy in the calf.
hypertrophy noun
Enlargement of an organ or tissue from increased cell size.
Left-ventricular hypertrophy showed on the scan.
ischemia noun
A restriction of blood supply to tissues.
Chest pain from cardiac ischemia brought him to A&E.
perfusion noun
The passage of blood or fluid through tissue.
Poor perfusion left the limb cold and pale.
Gastroenterology
colitis noun
Inflammation of the lining of the colon.
Her flare of colitis was confirmed on flexible endoscopy the following morning.
encephalopathy noun
Diffuse brain dysfunction; in hepatic disease it results from the accumulation of nitrogenous toxins such as ammonia.
Hepatic encephalopathy improved after lactulose reduced the colonic production of ammonia.
endoscopy noun
A procedure using a flexible camera to inspect the inside of the gut, most often the upper digestive tract.
The upper endoscopy identified the ulcer and allowed us to take biopsies for H. pylori.
pancreatitis noun
Inflammation of the pancreas, most often triggered by gallstones or alcohol, causing severe upper abdominal pain.
His serum amylase was markedly raised, confirming acute pancreatitis.
Neurology
encephalitis noun
Inflammation of the brain tissue itself, most often viral, which can cause confusion, seizures and reduced consciousness.
The altered behaviour and seizures with fever prompted treatment for viral encephalitis.
flaccid adjective
Describing muscles that are limp and lack normal tone.
In the acute phase of spinal shock, both legs were flaccid with absent reflexes.
posturing noun
An abnormal, stereotyped body position adopted in response to stimulation after severe brain injury.
Extensor posturing in response to pain marked a further decline in his level of consciousness.
More terms
acute kidney injury noun
A sudden decline in kidney function over hours to days, marked by a rise in serum creatinine or a fall in urine output.
His acute kidney injury was likely pre-renal, secondary to dehydration and the NSAIDs he had been taking.
adjuvant adjective
Given in addition to the main treatment to enhance it.
Adjuvant chemotherapy followed the surgery.
antiretroviral adjective
Acting against retroviruses, particularly the human immunodeficiency virus.
Strict adherence to antiretroviral therapy has rendered her viral load undetectable.
ceiling of care noun
The agreed upper limit of treatment a patient will receive, set on the basis of prognosis and their wishes.
Given his frailty, the consultant documented ward-based treatment as the ceiling of care.
centile noun
A line on a growth chart showing the percentage of children of the same age who fall below a given measurement.
His weight has tracked steadily along the fiftieth centile since birth.
fibromyalgia noun
A chronic condition of widespread pain, tenderness and fatigue without inflammation.
After normal blood tests, the clinic framed her widespread pain as fibromyalgia.
futility noun
The quality of a treatment being highly unlikely to achieve a meaningful benefit for the patient.
The consultant gently explained the futility of further escalation to the family.
gestational adjective
Relating to pregnancy or the period of fetal development.
Growth charts for preterm babies are adjusted for gestational age.
hypoxia noun
A deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the body's tissues.
Signs of hypoxia such as restlessness and confusion should always be taken seriously.
hysterectomy noun
Surgical removal of the uterus.
The laparoscopic hysterectomy allowed her to go home the following afternoon.
intractable adjective
Hard to control or treat; not yielding to therapy.
The team escalated care for his intractable pain.
myeloid adjective
Relating to the bone marrow or to the cell lineage that produces granulocytes, red cells and platelets.
Genetic testing confirmed a myeloid rather than lymphoid origin for the leukaemia.
psoriasis noun
A chronic immune-mediated disease producing well-demarcated red plaques with silvery scale.
His psoriasis affected the elbows, scalp and nails, and he was also screened for joint involvement.
resection noun
The surgical removal of tissue or an organ.
A bowel resection removed the diseased segment.
safety-netting noun
Giving the patient clear advice on what warning signs to watch for and when to seek further help if things worsen.
I finished with some safety-netting: if the fever climbs or you develop a rash, come straight back or ring 111.
sectioned adjective
Detained in hospital for assessment or treatment under the Mental Health Act against one's will.
Because he was too unwell to consent and at clear risk, he was sectioned for assessment.
unkempt adjective
Having an untidy or neglected appearance.
Her unkempt appearance was a marked change from previous appointments.
Learning the list, not just reading it
Reading a list once does not make the words yours. Lexfall is a vocabulary app that teaches words like these a few at a time, then brings each one back with spaced review just before you would forget it. This page shows 40 of the 1,031 words on this list in the app.
It does not coach the exam or mark your work. It builds the vocabulary those things draw on.
This article is about vocabulary, not exam coaching. PLAB is administered by the General Medical Council. Lexfall is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.
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