|
Ectasia
Ectasia (), also called ectasis (), is dilation or distention of a tubular structure, either normal or pathophysiologic but usually the latter (except in atelectasis, where absence of ectasis is the problem). Specific conditions * Bronchiectasis, chronic dilatation of the bronchi. * Duct ectasia of breast, a dilated milk duct. Duct ectasia syndrome is a synonym for nonpuerperal (unrelated to pregnancy and breastfeeding) mastitis. * Dural ectasia, dilation of the dural sac surrounding the spinal cord, usually in the very low back. * Pyelectasis, dilation of a part of the kidney, most frequently seen in prenatal ultrasounds. It usually resolves on its own. * Rete tubular ectasia, dilation of tubular structures in the testicles. It is usually found in older men. * Corneal ectasia (secondary keratoconus), a bulging of the cornea. ;Vascular ectasias * Most broadly, any abnormal dilatation of a blood vessel, including aneurysms. * Annuloaortic ectasia, dilation of the aorta. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dural Ectasia
Dural ectasia is widening or ballooning of the dural sac surrounding the spinal cord. This usually occurs in the lumbosacral region, as this is where the cerebrospinal fluid pressure is greatest, but the spinal canal can be affected in any plane. Signs and symptoms Common symptoms include lower back pain, headaches, weakness (myasthenia), numbness (hypoesthesia) above and below the involved limb, leg pain, and sometimes rectal and genital pain. Bowel and bladder dysfunction, urinary retention or incontinence may occur. Moderate-to-severe cases can cause radicular pain in the legs caused by nerve root compression. The symptoms are usually exacerbated by upright posture and often, but not always, relieved by lying down. Postural headaches can be related to spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks. However, in many patients, dural ectasia is asymptomatic. Causes The etiology of dural ectasia is unknown, but it has been suggested that is due to increased hydrostatic pressure, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Annuloaortic Ectasia
Annuloaortic ectasia is characterized by pure aortic valve regurgitation and aneurysmal dilatation of the ascending aorta. Men are more likely than women to develop idiopathic annuloaortic ectasia, which usually manifests in the fourth or sixth decades of life. Additional factors that contribute to this condition include osteogenesis imperfecta, inflammatory aortic diseases, intrinsic valve disease, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, Marfan syndrome, and operated congenital heart disease. On a gross level, there is a pear-shaped, symmetric enlargement due to proximal aortic dilation. The aortic wall dilatation at the commissural level causes the cusps to effectively shorten and prevent them from converging during systole, which results in aortic valve incompetence. The arch is typically spared from the aneurysmal process, though it may involve the entire ascending aorta. The ectatic aorta may experience dissections. Dissections of the ascending aorta are typically tiny, confined, and restrict ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duct Ectasia Of Breast
Duct ectasia of the breast, mammary duct ectasia or plasma cell mastitis is a condition that occurs when a milk duct beneath the nipple widens, the duct walls thicken, and the duct fills with fluid. This is the most common cause of greenish discharge. Mammary duct ectasia can mimic breast cancer. It is a disorder of peri- or post-menopausal age. ''Duct ectasia syndrome'' is a synonym for nonpuerperal mastitis, but the term has also been occasionally used to describe special cases of fibrocystic diseases or mastalgia or as a wastebasket definition of benign breast disease. Correlation of duct widening with the "classical" symptoms of duct ectasia syndrome is unclear. However, duct widening was recently very strongly correlated with noncyclic breast pain. Duct diameter is naturally variable, subject to hormonal interactions. Duct ectasia syndrome in the classical meaning is associated with additional histological changes. Symptoms Signs of duct ectasia can include nipple retracti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia
Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is an uncommon cause of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding or iron deficiency anemia. The condition is associated with dilated small blood vessels in the gastric antrum, which is a distal part of the stomach. The dilated vessels result in intestinal bleeding. It is also called watermelon stomach because streaky long red areas that are present in the stomach may resemble the markings on watermelon. The condition was first discovered in 1952, and reported in the literature in 1953. Watermelon disease was first diagnosed by Wheeler ''et al.'' in 1979, and definitively described in four living patients by Jabbari ''et al.'' only in 1984. As of 2011, the cause and pathogenesis are still not known. However, there are several competing hypotheses as to various causes. Signs and symptoms Most patients who are eventually diagnosed with watermelon stomach come to a physician complaining of anemia and blood loss. Sometimes, a patient may come to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dolichoectasias
The term dolichoectasia means elongation and distension. It is used to characterize arteries throughout the human body which have shown significant deterioration of their tunica intima (and occasionally the tunica media), weakening the vessel walls and causing the artery to elongate and distend. Signs and symptoms Vertebrobasillar dolichoectasia * Hemifacial spasm * Paresis Internal carotid dolichoectasia * Progressive visual field defect Cause Most commonly caused by hypertension, continued stress on the walls of the artery will degrade the vessel wall by damaging and loosening the collagen and elastin meshwork which comprises the intima. Similarly, hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia can also provide sufficient trauma to the vessel wall resulting in dolichoectasia. As the arrangement of connective tissue is disturbed, the vessel wall is no longer able to hold its original conformation and begins to unravel due to the continued hypertension. High blood pressure mold and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keratoconus
Keratoconus is an eye disorder in which the cornea, the transparent front part of the eye, gradually thins and bulges outward into a cone shape. This causes distorted vision, including blurry vision, double vision, increased nearsightedness, irregular astigmatism, and light sensitivity, which can reduce Quality of life (healthcare), quality of life. Both eyes are usually affected. The cause is not fully understood but likely involves a combination of heredity, genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors. Having a parent, sibling, or child with keratoconus increases risk significantly. Environmental risk factors include frequent eye rubbing and atopy, allergies. Diagnosis is typically made with corneal topography, which maps the shape of the cornea and reveals characteristic changes. In early stages, vision is often corrected with glasses or soft contact lenses. As the condition progresses, rigid or scleral contact lenses may be needed. In 2016, the FDA approved corneal col ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Intracranial Dolichoectasias
The term dolichoectasia means elongation and distension. It is used to characterize arteries throughout the human body which have shown significant deterioration of their tunica intima (and occasionally the tunica media), weakening the vessel walls and causing the artery to elongate and distend. Signs and symptoms Vertebrobasillar dolichoectasia * Hemifacial spasm * Paresis Internal carotid dolichoectasia * Progressive visual field defect Cause Most commonly caused by hypertension, continued stress on the walls of the artery will degrade the vessel wall by damaging and loosening the collagen and elastin meshwork which comprises the intima. Similarly, hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia can also provide sufficient trauma to the vessel wall resulting in dolichoectasia. As the arrangement of connective tissue is disturbed, the vessel wall is no longer able to hold its original conformation and begins to unravel due to the continued hypertension. High blood pressure mold and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High Blood Pressure
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major risk factor for stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, peripheral arterial disease, vision loss, chronic kidney disease, and dementia. Hypertension is a major cause of premature death worldwide. High blood pressure is classified as primary (essential) hypertension or secondary hypertension. About 90–95% of cases are primary, defined as high blood pressure due to non-specific lifestyle and genetic factors. Lifestyle factors that increase the risk include excess salt in the diet, excess body weight, smoking, physical inactivity and alcohol use. The remaining 5–10% of cases are categorized as secondary hypertension, defined as high blood pressure due to a clearly identifiable cause, such as chronic ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology (or physiopathology) is a branch of study, at the intersection of pathology and physiology, concerning disordered physiological processes that cause, result from, or are otherwise associated with a disease or injury. Pathology is the medical discipline that describes conditions typically ''observed'' during a disease state, whereas physiology is the biological discipline that describes processes or mechanisms ''operating'' within an organism. Pathology describes the abnormal or undesired condition (symptoms of a disease), whereas pathophysiology seeks to explain the functional changes that are occurring within an individual due to a disease or pathologic state. Etymology The term ''pathophysiology'' comes from the Ancient Greek πάθος (''pathos'') and φυσιολογία (''phisiologia''). History Early Developments The origins of pathophysiology as a distinct field date back to the late 18th century. The first known lectures on the subject were delivered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Human Cranium
The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominent parts: the neurocranium and the facial skeleton, which evolved from the first pharyngeal arch. The skull forms the frontmost portion of the axial skeleton and is a product of cephalization and vesicular enlargement of the brain, with several special senses structures such as the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and, in fish, specialized tactile organs such as barbels near the mouth. The skull is composed of three types of bone: cranial bones, facial bones and ossicles, which is made up of a number of fused flat and irregular bones. The cranial bones are joined at firm fibrous junctions called sutures and contains many foramina, fossae, processes, and sinuses. In zoology, the openings in the skull are called fenestrae, the most p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marfan Syndrome
Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a multi-systemic genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue. Those with the condition tend to be tall and thin, with dolichostenomelia, long arms, legs, Arachnodactyly, fingers, and toes. They also typically have hypermobility (joints), exceptionally flexible joints and scoliosis, abnormally curved spines. The most serious complications involve the heart and aorta, with an increased risk of mitral valve prolapse and aortic aneurysm. The lungs, eyes, bones, and the dura mater, covering of the spinal cord are also commonly affected. The severity of the symptoms is variable. MFS is caused by a mutation in ''FBN1'', one of the genes that make fibrillin, which results in abnormal connective tissue. It is an autosomal dominant disorder. In about 75% of cases, it is inherited from a parent with the condition, while in about 25% it is a new mutation. Diagnosis is often based on the Ghent criteria, family history and genetic testing (DNA analysis). Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
