| AAW | anterior aortic wall |
|---|---|
| ABF | aortic blood flow; aortobifemoral |
| AB-SAAP | autologous blood selective aortic arch perfusion |
| AC | abdominal circumference; abdominal compression; absorption coefficient; abuse case; acetate; acetylc... |
| ADN | antideoxyribonuclease; aortic depressor nerve; associate degree in nursing |
| aortic valve insufficiency | Backflow of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle, owing to imperfect functioning of the aortic semilunar valve. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| aortic valve prolapse | The downward displacement of the cuspal material (misalignment of the cusps) below a line joining points of attachment of the aortic valve leaflets. The prolapsed cusp may occlude the ventricular septal defect during ventricular diastole. (12 Dec 1998) |
| aortic valve stenosis | Narrowing of the orifice of the aortic valve or of the supravalular or subvalvular regions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| apical-aortic conduit | A valved conduit between the LV apex and aorta, used to treat severe otherwise unapproachable LV outflow tract obstruction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bicuspid aortic valve | See: familial aortic ectasia syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| calcific nodular aortic stenosis | Most common type of aortic stenosis, occurring usually in elderly men, in which the cusps contain calcified fibrous nodules on both surfaces; the causes include rheumatic fever, atherosclerosis, age-related degeneration, and congenitally bicuspid aortic valve. (05 Mar 2000) |
| valvular aortic stenosis | <radiology> Secondary to fusion of commisures between cusps types: bicuspid/unicuspid (95%): in 1-2% of population; M>F; commonly associated with coarctation, tricuspid (5%), dysplastic thickened aortic cusps in infants with crtical aortic stenosis: may stimulate neonatal sepsis, associated with L-R shunts (atrial septal defect, VSD), marked CMG (thickened wall of LV), pulmonary venous hypertension, congestive heart failure child/adult: LV configuration with normal heart size, postenotic dilatation, calcified valve (60% of patients greater than24 y.o.) see: aortic stenosis (12 Dec 1998) |
| para-aortic bodies | Small masses of chromaffin cells found near the sympathetic ganglia along the abdominal aorta. They serve as chemoreceptors responsive to oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen ion concentration, and help to control respiration. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cervical aortic knuckle | An anomalous aortic arch in which the aorta extends into the neck and forms an anteroposterior arch, which may be as high as the hyoid bone; the common carotid artery of one side is given off from the summit of the arch, and the common carotid of the other side arises from the more proximal part of the aorta; the pulsating arch may be mistaken for an aneurysm, but the radial pulses are equal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| right aortic arch | <radiology> Types: mirror image branching (95% most likely to be congenital ht disease), 90% tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) (25%) ** decreased PBF, 2.5% truncus (30-50%) ** increased PBF, 1.5% transposition (TGV) (5%), aberrant left subclavian artery (5% most likely to be congenital heart disease) (12 Dec 1998) |
| secondary aortic area | Region of the chest at the mid-left sternal bases where aortic diastolic murmurs are often best heard. (05 Mar 2000) |
| subvalvular aortic stenosis | <radiology> Types: anatomic/fixed subaortic stenosis: associated with cardiac defects in 50% (usually VSD), functional/dynamic subartic stenosis: asymetrical septal hypertrophy (ASH), idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS), hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) findings: asymmetrically thicker ventricular septum than free wall of the left ventricle (95%), normal/small left and right ventricular cavities (95%), systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve, lucent subaortic filling defect in systole, coarse systolic flutter of valve cusps, may see mitral regurgitation (secondary to abnormal position of anterolateral pappilary muscle) see: aortic stenosis (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) |
| supravalvar aortic stenosis syndrome | <syndrome> Supravalvar aortic stenosis (usually membranous) sometimes associated with pulmonary valvular or peripheral arterial stenosis but with normal facies and mentality; autosomal dominant inheritance. Compare: Williams syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| supravalvular aortic stenosis | <radiology> Types: localised hourglass narrowing just above aortic sinuses, discrete fibrous membrane above sinuses of Valsalva, diffuse tubular hypoplasia of ascending aorta and branching arteries associated with: peripheral pulmonary stenosis, valvular and discrete subvalvular aortic stenosis, Marfan syndrome, Williams syndrome findings: dilatation and tortuosity of coronary arteries (may undergo early atherosclerotic degeneration secondary to high pressure), narrowing of the supravalvular area (normal root diameter: 20-37mm), normal movement of cusps (12 Dec 1998) |