Friday words: Ipsilateral and Contralateral

[med_cat]

Another pair of medical terms this time:

Ipsilateral: situated or appearing on or affecting the same side of the body

Etymology:

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin ipse self, himself + later-, latus side

First Known Use: 1907

Contralateral: occurring on or acting in conjunction with a part on the opposite side of the body

Etymology:

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin contra, opposite + later-, latus side

First Known Use: 1882

Example (from the text on spinal cord injuries):

The final incomplete spinal injury is Brown-Sequard. This translates to ipsilateral motor and contralateral sensory function deficit as it relates to the site of injury.