| left | Of or pertaining to that side of the body in man on which the muscular action of the limbs is usually weaker than on the other side; opposed to right, when used in reference to a part of the body; as, the left ear. Also said of the corresponding side of the lower animals. Left bank of a river, that which is on the left hand of a person whose face is turned downstream. Left bower. See Bower. Left center, the members whose sympathies are, in the main, with the members of the Left, but who do not favor extreme courses, and on occasions vote with the government. They sit between the Center and the extreme Left. Over the left shoulder, or Over the left, an old but still current colloquialism, or slang expression, used as an aside to indicate insincerity, negation, or disbelief; as, he said it, and it is true, over the left. Origin: OE. Left, lift, luft; akin to Fries. Leeft, OD.lucht, luft; cf. AS.left (equiv. To L. Inanis), lyftadl palsy; or cf. AS.lf weak. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| left atrial pressure | <radiology> 15-20 mm Hg redistribution 20-25 interstitial oedema 25-30 airspace oedema (12 Dec 1998) |
| left atrioventricular valve | <anatomy, cardiology> The heart valve that divides the left atrium and left ventricle. During left atrial contraction, the mitral valve opens to allow blood to flow into the left ventricle. Upon closure, the mitral valve prohibits the regurgitation of blood back into the left atrium. The mitral valve is the only heart valve that has only 2 valve cusps (all others have 3). (13 Nov 1997) |
| left atrium | <anatomy> The thin-walled chamber of the heart which pumps blood into the left ventricle for ejection into the systemic circulation. (27 Sep 1997) |
| left auricular appendage | The small conical projection from the left atrium of the heart. Synonym: auricula sinistra, left auricular appendage. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left axis deviation | A mean electrical axis of the heart pointing to -30 |
| left branch | Of a pair of branches, the branch passing to the left side of the body, to the left member of a bilateral pair of structures, or to the left portion of an unpaired structure; the other member of the pair being a right branch. Synonym: ramus sinister. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left colic artery | <anatomy, artery> Origin, inferior mesenteric; distribution, descending colon and splenic flexure; anastomoses, middle colic, sigmoid. Synonym: arteria colica sinistra. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left colic flexure | The bend at the junction of the transverse and descending colon. Synonym: flexura coli sinistra, splenic flexure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left colic lymph nodes | Small nodes along the left colic artery and its branches that drain the left flexure and upper part of the descending colon; efferent vessels pass to the inferior mesenteric nodes. Synonym: nodi lymphatici colici sinistri. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left colic vein | <anatomy, vein> A tributary of the inferior mesenteric vein that accompanies the left colic artery and drains the left flexure and descending colon. Synonym: vena colica sinistra. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left coronary artery | <anatomy, artery> Origin, left aortic sinus; distribution, it divides into two major branches, an anterior interventricular which descends in the anterior interventricular sulcus, and a circumflex branch which passes to the diaphragmatic surface of the left ventricle; gives atrial, ventricular, and atrioventricular branches. Synonym: arteria coronaria sinistra. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left coronary artery branches | <radiology> Left anterior descending (LAD) artery, diagonal branches, septal branches (short br. at 90' angle), left circumflex artery (LCA), obtuse marginal branches (12 Dec 1998) |
| left coronary vein | <anatomy, vein> Begins at the apex of the heart (where it anastomoses with the middle cardiac vein), runs first with the anterior interventricular artery as it ascends the anterior interventricular groove, then turns to the left as it approaches or reaches the coronary groove to run with the circumflex branch of the left coronary artery; it merges with the oblique vein of the left atrium to form the coronary sinus. Synonym: vena cordis magna, left coronary vein, vena cardiaca magna. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left crus of atrioventricular bundle | The left leg or branch of the atrioventricular bundle which separates from the atrioventricular bundle just below the membranous portion of the interventricular septum to descend the septal wall of the left ventricle and begins to ramify subendocardially. Synonym: crus sinistrum fasciculi atrioventricularis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aortico-left ventricular tunnel | Congenital connection between the aorta above exit of coronary arteries and the left ventricle. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| apicoposterior branch of left superior pulmonary vein | <anatomy, vein> Drains apicoposterior bronchopulmonary segment of superior lobe of left lung. Synonym: ramus apicoposterior venae pulmonalis sinistrae superioris. (05 Mar 2000) |
| atrial function, left | The haemodynamic and electrophysiological action of the left atrium. (12 Dec 1998) |
| auricle of left atrium | The small conical projection from the left atrium of the heart. Synonym: auricula sinistra, left auricular appendage. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bilateral left-sidedness | A syndrome in which normally unpaired organs develop more symmetrically in mirror image; two spleens, one on each side, are usually present, and cardiovascular anomalies are common. Synonym: polysplenia syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cardiac notch of left lung | The notch in the anterior border of the superior lobe of the left lung which accommodates the pericardium. Synonym: incisura cardiaca pulmonis sinistri. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ventricular dysfunction, left | A condition in which the left ventricle of the heart exhibits a decreased functionality. This decreased function could lead to congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction, among other cardiovascular diseases. Diagnostic measurements that indicate this condition include a diminished ejection fraction and a depressed level of motility of the left ventricular wall. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ventricular function, left | The haemodynamic and electrophysiological action of the left ventricle. Its measurement is an important aspect of the clinical evaluation of patients with heart disease to determine the effects of the disease on cardiac performance. (12 Dec 1998) |
| right or left lateral decubitus film | A radiograph exposed with the subject in the decubitus position; named for the side that is dependent. Synonym: right or left lateral decubitus film. (05 Mar 2000) |
| right-to-left shunt | The passage of blood from the right side of the heart into the left (as through a septal defect), or from the pulmonary artery into the aorta (as through a patent ductus arteriosus); such a shunt can occur only when the pressure on the right side exceeds that in the left, as in advanced pulmonic stenosis, or when the pulmonary artery pressure exceeds aortic pressure, as in one form of Eisenmenger's syndrome or in tricuspid atresia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| circumflex branch of left coronary artery | <anatomy, artery> Terminal branch (with anterior interventricular artery) of left coronary artery which runs to left and then posteriorly in the coronary groove supplying atrial and ventricular branches. Synonym: ramus circumflexus arteriae coronariae sinistrae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| posterior vein of left ventricle | Arises on the diaphragmatic surface of the heart near the apex, runs to the left and parallel to the posterior interventricular sulcus, and empties in the coronary sinus. Synonym: vena posterior ventriculi sinistri. (05 Mar 2000) |
| heart bypass, left | Diversion of the flow of blood from the pulmonary veins directly to the aorta, avoiding the left atrium and the left ventricle. This is a temporary procedure usually performed to assist other surgical procedures. (12 Dec 1998) |
| shift to the left | A marked increase in the percentage of immature cells in the circulating blood, based on the premise in haematology that the bone marrow with its immature myeloid cells is on the left, while the circulating blood with its mature neutrophils is on the right. Synonym: deviation to the left. See: maturation index. (05 Mar 2000) |
| shunt, left to right | A term used to describe the diversion of blood from the higher pressure left side of the heart to the right side (pulmonary circuit). Can be seen in ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus (congenital at birth). (27 Sep 1997) |