Aortic Arch: From 1 Different Sources
that part of the aorta that extends from the ascending aorta, upward over the heart and then backward and down as far as the fourth thoracic vertebra. *Stretch receptors in its outer wall monitor blood pressure and form part of the system maintaining this at a constant level.
Narrowing of the AORTIC VALVE in the HEART which obstructs the ?ow of blood through it, with serious effects on the heart and the circulation. The muscle in the left ventricle works harder to compensate for the obstruction and thickens as a result. Stenosis is usually caused by the deposition of calcium on the valve and is commonly associated with ATHEROMA. Untreated, the condition leads to heart failure, but nowadays the stenosis can be treated surgically.... aortic stenosis
See also REGURGITATION. This is the back ?ow of blood through the AORTIC VALVE of the HEART into the left ventricle, caused by an incompetent valve. The failure to close may be caused by a congenital defect or by damage from disease. The defect may be cured by surgical replacement of the damaged valve with an arti?cial valve. (See HEART, DISEASES OF.)... aortic incompetence
The valve that controls the ?ow of blood from the AORTA to the left ventricle of the HEART.... aortic valve
Weakness in the muscles that support the bony arches of the foot. The result is ?at feet, a condition that can adversely affect a person’s ability to walk and run normally.... fallen arches
The arch of bone, commonly known as the cheek bone, on either side of the skull just below the eye socket. The zygomatic arch is formed of the zygomatic and temporal bones.... zygomatic arch
The use of digital imaging systems to replace conventional X-ray pictures and other imaging techniques. Though expensive to operate, digital imaging and storage systems o?er promising possibilities for transmission of clinical images within and between hospitals and community health-care units, providing fast access and remote working that will bene?t patients and health-care sta? alike. When security and con?dentiality are assured, images could be transferred via the Internet and teleradiology. In future, hospitals might be able to eliminate the costly physical transfer and storage of X-ray ?lms. The integration of PACS with hospital information systems in the NHS will (hopefully) facilitate the introduction of electronic radiology.... picture archiving and communications system (pacs)
see aneurysm.... aortic aneurysm
a surgical technique used to replace a diseased length of aorta, most often the abdominal aorta. It usually involves inserting into the aorta a flexible tube of artificial material, which functions as a substitute for the diseased section.... aortic replacement
(arche-, archi-, archo-) combining form denoting first; primitive; ancestral. Example: archinephron (first-formed embryonic kidney).... arch
n. a cavity that forms in the very early embryo as the result of gastrulation (see gastrula). In humans it forms a tubular cavity, the archenteric canal, which connects the amniotic cavity with the yolk sac. —archenteric adj.... archenteron
n. (in Jungian psychology) an inherited idea or mode of thought supposed to be present in the *unconscious mind and to derive from the experience of the whole human race (the collective unconscious), not from the life experience of the individual. Anima is the feminine component of a male’s personality; animus is the masculine component of a female’s personality.... archetype
n. the *hippocampal formation of the cerebrum. The term is seldom used.... archipallium
see pharyngeal arch.... branchial arch
see vertebra.... neural arch
a leak of the aortic valve resulting in reflux of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle during diastole. Aortic regurgitation is most commonly due to degenerative ‘wear and tear’ of the aortic valve. Other causes include dilatation of the aortic root with secondary dilatation of the aortic valve, scarring of the aortic valve as a result of previous acute rheumatic fever, or destruction of the valve by infection (see endocarditis). Mild cases are symptom-free, but patients more severely affected develop breathlessness, angina pectoris, and enlargement of the heart; all have a diastolic murmur. A badly affected valve may be replaced surgically with a prosthesis.... aortic regurgitation
(branchial arch, visceral arch) any of the paired segmented ridges of tissue in each side of the throat of the early embryo that correspond to the gill arches of fish. Each arch contains a cartilage, a cranial nerve, and a blood vessel. Between each arch there is a *pharyngeal pouch.... pharyngeal arch
see PACS.... picture archiving and communication system
the arch in the sole of the foot formed by anastomosing branches of the plantar arteries.... plantar arch
(TAVI) replacement of the aortic valve in patients with *aortic stenosis using a catheter-delivered prosthesis rather than open heart surgery. Usually the catheter is passed via the femoral artery, but sometimes it can be passed via the subclavian artery or through the wall of the left ventricle via a localized *thoracotomy.... transcatheter aortic valve implantation
see pharyngeal arch.... visceral arch
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