| umls-concept:C0175720 | skos:definition | SPN: A caliper for clinical use is a compass-like device intended for use in measuring the thickness or diameter of a part of the body or the distance between two body surfaces, such as for measuring an excised skeletal specimen to determine the proper replacement size of a prosthesis.,UMD: Instruments designed for the accurate measurement of the diameter or thickness of an object or, less frequently, the distance between two points on a plane. These instruments are typically metallic, compasslike, handheld instruments with two adjustable, frequently curved, hinged legs or jaws; some instruments display the results of measurements on analog (e.g., mechanical scales) or digital (electronic) displays. Metallic and/or rigid plastic calipers are available with an L-shaped frame with a linear scale along its longer arm and a second L-shaped sliding arm with an auxiliary graduated scale to facilitate fine adjustment and to increase the accuracy of measurement (i.e., vernier calipers). Dedicated clinical calipers ar | lld:umls |
