| dissecting thoracic aorta | <surgery> A condition in which a weakened portion of the thoracic aorta begins to tear along the longitudinal axis of the vessel. Symptoms include sudden, severe chest pain that may radiate to the back accompanied by nausea, sweating and difficulty breathing. A common risk factor for this event is atherosclerotic vascular disease and-or hypertension. Advanced cases of syphilis (syphilitic aortitis) can also result in acute thoracic dissection as a complication of infection with Treponema pallidum. (11 Jan 1998) |
|---|---|
| dynamic aorta | Abnormally marked pulsations of aorta. (05 Mar 2000) |
| isthmus of aorta | A slight constriction of the aorta immediately distal to the left subclavian artery at the point of attachment of the ductus arteriosus. Synonym: isthmus aortae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| oesophageal branches of the thoracic aorta | Branches arising directly from the anterior aspect of the portion of the thoracic aorta adjacent to the oesophagus, by which most of the oesophagus is supplied. Synonym: rami oesophageales aortae thoracicae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| overriding aorta | A congenitally malpositioned aorta whose origin straddles the ventricular septum and so receives ejected blood from the right ventricle as well as from the left; it is found especially in tetralogy of Fallot. (05 Mar 2000) |
| thoracic aorta | The part of the descending aorta that supplies structures as far down as the diaphragm. Synonym: pars thoracica aortae, aorta thoracica, thoracic part of aorta. (05 Mar 2000) |
| thoracic part of aorta | The part of the descending aorta that supplies structures as far down as the diaphragm. Synonym: pars thoracica aortae, aorta thoracica, thoracic part of aorta. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tortuous aorta | <radiology> Hypertension, aortic insufficiency (not AS), coarctation, cystic medial necrosis (Marfan, Ehlers-Danlos, homocystinuria), premature atherosclerosis (chronic renal disease, hypercholesterolaemia) (12 Dec 1998) |
| kinked aorta | Distortion, often with slight narrowing, of the aortic arch at the level of insertion of the ligamentum arteriosum. Synonym: buckled aorta, kinked aorta. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aggressive infantile fibromatosis | A childhood counterpart of abdominal or extra-abdominal desmoid tumours, characterised by firm subcutaneous nodules that grow rapidly in any part of the body that invade locally and recur but do not metastasize. (05 Mar 2000) |
| autism, infantile | A syndrome beginning in infancy and characterised by a lack of responsiveness to other people, gross impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and bizarre responses to the environment. (12 Dec 1998) |
| progressive infantile spinal muscular atrophy | Transmitted as autosomal recessive on chromosome 5q. Progressive dysfunction of the anterior horn cells in the spinal cord and brainstem cranial nerves with profound weakness and bulbar dysfunction occurring in the first two years of life. Three groups, based on age of clinical onset, are recognised. Synonym: familial spinal muscular atrophy, Hoffmann's muscular atrophy, infantile muscular atrophy, infantile progressive spinal muscular atrophy, progressive infantile spinal muscular atrophy, Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, Werdnig-Hoffmann muscular atrophy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spasms, infantile | Primary generalised epileptic seizures occurring in infants between birth and twelve months of age consisting of brief synchronous contractions of the neck, torso, and both arms. These seizures often occur in infants with underlying neurologic diseases. The prognosis for these infants is grave, with approximately ninety percent developing mental retardation in addition to their seizures. The eeg has a typical hypsarrhythmia pattern. The spasms and hypsarrhythmia have a tendency to disappear over the first three to five years of life, only to be replaced by other forms of generalised seizures. Infantile spasms sometimes respond to valproic acid or acth. (12 Dec 1998) |
| supravalvar aortic stenosis-infantile hypercalcaemia syndrome | <syndrome> Supravalvar aortic stenosis associated with elfin facies, mental retardation, and hypercalcaemia; usually sporadic; perhaps an irregular dominant trait. (05 Mar 2000) |
| diffuse infantile familial sclerosis | <radiology> Dysmyelinating disease, autosomal recessive, usually presents by 1 yr, specific enzyme deficiency identified, rapid spontaneous nystagmus, poikilothermia Synonym: Krabbe leukodystrophy (12 Dec 1998) |