mass effect

English

Noun

mass effect (plural mass effects)

1. (medicine) The anatomic and physiological effect that an ectopic mass (such as a tumor, hematoma, or pleural effusion) causes by displacing or pushing against eutopic structures. It may squeeze and thus occlude blood vessels or lymphatic vessels; pinch nerves; disrupt gastrointestinal volume and peristalsis; and so on.