watershed

watershed definition - medical

wa·ter·shed (wôˈtər-shĕdˌ)

noun
  1. A ridge between two areas that directs drainage to either side.
  2. The area of marginal blood flow at the extreme periphery of a vascular bed.
  3. Ridges of the lumbar vertebrae and the pelvic brim formed in the abdominal cavity, which determine the direction in which a free effusion will gravitate when the body is supine.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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