| anterior cruciate ligament | <anatomy> A ligament that stabilises the knee joint. <orthopaedics> A common type of knee sprain which involves injury to the anterior cruciate ligament. The knee with an anterior cruciate ligament injury will usually appear swollen and tender. Reconstruction of the ligament is possible using a fibreoptic procedure, known as arthroscopy, is used in the surgical repair of any of several knee ligaments including the anterior cruciate ligament, lateral or medial meniscus, lateral collateral or medial collateral ligament. Recovery from this procedure is based largely on the ligament repaired and can be highly variable. (06 Oct 1997) |
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| anterior crural nerve | <anatomy, nerve> A nerve originating in the lumbar spinal cord (usually l2 to l4) and traveling through the lumbar plexus to provide motor innervation to extensors of the thigh and sensory innervation to parts of the thigh, lower leg, and foot, and to the hip and knee joints. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anterior crural region | The anterior surface of the inferior limb between the knee and the ankle. Synonym: facies cruralis anterior, regio cruralis anterior, anterior crural region, anterior surface of leg, facies anterior cruris. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior crus of stapes | The anterior of the two delicate curving limbs of the stapes that pass from the head of the bone to the base or footplate. Synonym: crus anterius stapedis, anterior limb of stapes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior cubital region | The area in front of the elbow, including the cubital fossa. Synonym: facies cubitalis anterior, regio cubitalis anterior, anterior cubital region, anterior surface of elbow. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior curvature | Curvature in which a more distal or cephalad part is deviated anteriorly with respect to the coronal anatomic plane. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior cusp of atrioventricular valve | The anterior leaflet or valvule of either the tricuspid or mitral valves. Synonym: cuspis anterior valvae atrioventricularis dextrae/sinistrae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior cutaneous branches of intercostal nerves | Medial mammary branches of anterior cutaneous branches of ventral primary rami of thoracic spinal nerves. See: medial mammary branches. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior cutaneous branch of iliohypogastric nerve | <anatomy, nerve> Distribution, skin on pubis. Synonym: ramus cutaneus anterior nervi iliohypogastrici, genital branch of iliohypogastric nerve. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior cutaneous nerves of abdomen | The ventral primary rami of spinal nerves T7-T11 (seventh to eleventh intercostal nerves), which supply the abdominal as well as the thoracic wall; innervate intercostal, subcostal, serratus posterior inferior, transversus abdominis, external and internal oblique, and rectus abdominis muscles, and provide sensory branches to the periphery of the diaphragm, and parietal pleura and peritoneum. Synonym: rami cutanei anteriores pectoralis et abdominalis nervorum intercostalium, ramus cutaneus anterior (pectoralis et abdominalis) nervorum thoracicorum, anterior cutaneous nerves of abdomen, pectoral and abdominal anterior cutaneous branch of intercostal nerves. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior deep cervical lymph nodes | The lymph nodes near the larynx, trachea, and thyroid gland. Synonym: nodi lymphatici cervicales anteriores profundi. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior descending artery | <anatomy, artery> Anterior interventricular branch of left coronary artery. Terminal branch (with circumflex coronary artery) of left coronary artery; descends in anterior interventricular groove to apex, anastomosing with posterior interventricular artery. Supplies most of sternal aspect of ventricles and anterior two-thirds of interventricular septum, including atrioventricular bundle of conducting tissue. Synonym: ramus interventricularis anterior arteriae coronariae sinistrae, anterior descending artery. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior drawer test | <investigation> This test is performed with the patient lying on their back with there knee in 90 degrees of flexion with the foot resting firmly on the table. The examiner grasps the top portion of the shin with both hands, positioning the thumbs on either tibial condyle. Stabilising the foot the examiner places pressure slowly on the proximal tibia by moving the shin toward the examiner. Abnormal looseness and movement forward indicates a significant anterior cruciate ligament injury. (27 Sep 1997) |
| anterior elastic layer | A transparent homogeneous acellular layer, 6 to 9 um thick, lying between the basal lamina of the outer layer of stratified epithelium and the substantia propria of the cornea; considered to be a basement membrane. Synonym: lamina limitans anterior corneae, anterior elastic layer, Bowman's membrane, lamina elastica anterior, limiting layers of cornea. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior embryotoxon | An opaque, grayish ring at the periphery of the cornea just within the sclerocorneal junction, of frequent occurrence in the aged; it results from a deposit of fatty granules in, or hyaline degeneration of, the lamellae and cells of the cornea. Synonym: anterior embryotoxon, arcus adiposus, arcus juvenilis, arcus lipoides, arcus senilis, gerontoxon, linea corneae senilis, lipoidosis corneae. (05 Mar 2000) |