| capillary fragility | The lack of resistance, or susceptibility, of capillaries to damage or disruption under conditions of increased stress. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| capillary fragility test | A tourniquet test used to determine presence of vitamin C deficiency or thrombocytopenia; a circle 2.5 cm in diameter, the upper edge of which is 4 cm below the crease of the elbow, is drawn on the inner aspect of the forearm, pressure midway between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure is applied above the elbow for 15 minutes, and a count of petechiae within the circle is made: 10, normal; 10 to 20, marginal zone; over 20, abnormal. See: Rumpel-Leede test. Synonym: capillary resistance test, vitamin C test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| osmotic fragility | The susceptibility, or lack of resistance, of erythrocytes to haemolysis when exposed to increasingly hypotonic saline solutions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fragility | Brittleness; liability to break, burst, or disintegrate. Synonym: fragilitas. Origin: L. Fragilitas (05 Mar 2000) |
| fragility of the blood | The susceptibility, or lack of resistance, of erythrocytes to haemolysis when exposed to increasingly hypotonic saline solutions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fragility test | A test that measures the resistance of erythrocytes to haemolysis in hypotonic saline solutions; erythrocytes to be tested are added to varying concentrations of saline (usually ranging from 0.85 to 0.10% sodium chloride with 0.05% increments), and beginning and complete haemolysis are measured; normal erythrocytes show initial haemolysis at concentrations of 0.45 to 0.39% and complete haemolysis at 0.33 to 0.30%; in hereditary spherocytosis the fragility of the erythrocytes is markedly increased, whereas in thalassaemia, sickle cell anaemia, and obstructive jaundice the fragility of the erythrocytes is usually reduced. Synonym: erythrocyte fragility test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute vascular occlusion | <cardiology, surgery> A serious condition that results from the sudden blockage of an artery, usually with a blood clot. (27 Sep 1997) |
| acute vascular purpura | <dermatology> This relatively rare disorder is characterised by skin purpura, joint pains, abdominal pain and renal disease (glomerulonephritis). Although Henoch-Schonlein purpura or anaphylactoid purpura, is thought to be a immune complex mediated disease, its exact cause is unknown. Its typical benign coarse can, however, include renal failure. (27 Sep 1997) |
| articular vascular circle | An anastomosis of vessels encircling a joint. See: articular vascular network. Synonym: circulus articularis vasculosus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| articular vascular network | A vascular rete in the neighborhood of a joint, where such arrangements are common, enabling a collateral circulation by which blood will be supplied distal to the joint regardless of compromises resulting from joint position. Synonym: circulus articularis vasculosus, rete vasculosum articulare, articular network. (05 Mar 2000) |
| articular vascular network of elbow | Vascular networks in the region of the elbow, composed of anastomoses between branches of the radial and middle collateral, superior and inferior ulnar collateral, radial recurrent, interosseous recurrent, and recurrent ulnar arteries. Synonym: rete articulare cubiti. (05 Mar 2000) |
| articular vascular network of knee | An arterial network over the front and sides of the knee, formed by branches of the descending genicular artery, of the five genicular arteries from the popliteal, of the anterior tibial recurrent, and of the fibular circumflex branch of the posterior tibial. Synonym: rete articulare genus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| atherosclerotic vascular disease | <cardiology> The progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries over time. This is known to occur to some degree with aging, but other risk factors that accelerate this process have been identified. These factors include: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and family history for atherosclerotic disease. (27 Sep 1997) |
| blood-vascular system | The heart and the blood vessels by which blood is pumped and circulated through the body. (12 Dec 1998) |
| vascular | <physiology> Pertaining to blood vessels or indicative of a copious blood supply. (18 Nov 1997) |