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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. * Acral arteriolar ectasia * Corneal ectasia (secondary keratoconus), a bulging of the cornea. ;Vascular ectasias * Most broadly, any abnormal dilatation of a blood vessel, including aneurysms * Annuloaortic ectasia, dil ... [...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] |
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 retraction ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keratoconus
Keratoconus (KC) is a disorder of the eye that results in progressive thinning of the cornea. This may result in blurry vision, double vision, nearsightedness, irregular astigmatism, and light sensitivity leading to poor quality-of-life. Usually both eyes are affected. In more severe cases a scarring or a circle may be seen within the cornea. While the cause is unknown, it is believed to occur due to a combination of genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors. Patients with a parent, sibling, or child who has keratoconus have 15 to 67 times higher risk in developing corneal ectasia compared to patients with no affected relatives. Proposed environmental factors include rubbing the eyes and allergies. The underlying mechanism involves changes of the cornea to a cone shape. Diagnosis is most often by topography. Topography measures the curvature of the cornea and creates a colored "map" of the cornea. Keratoconus causes very distinctive changes in the appearance of these ma ... [...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 pyloric 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 physi ... [...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 * Trigeminal neuralgia 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 ... [...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 * Trigeminal neuralgia 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keratoconus
Keratoconus (KC) is a disorder of the eye that results in progressive thinning of the cornea. This may result in blurry vision, double vision, nearsightedness, irregular astigmatism, and light sensitivity leading to poor quality-of-life. Usually both eyes are affected. In more severe cases a scarring or a circle may be seen within the cornea. While the cause is unknown, it is believed to occur due to a combination of genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors. Patients with a parent, sibling, or child who has keratoconus have 15 to 67 times higher risk in developing corneal ectasia compared to patients with no affected relatives. Proposed environmental factors include rubbing the eyes and allergies. The underlying mechanism involves changes of the cornea to a cone shape. Diagnosis is most often by topography. Topography measures the curvature of the cornea and creates a colored "map" of the cornea. Keratoconus causes very distinctive changes in the appearance of these ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aorta
The aorta ( ) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries). The aorta distributes oxygenated blood to all parts of the body through the systemic circulation. Structure Sections In anatomical sources, the aorta is usually divided into sections. One way of classifying a part of the aorta is by anatomical compartment, where the thoracic aorta (or thoracic portion of the aorta) runs from the heart to the diaphragm. The aorta then continues downward as the abdominal aorta (or abdominal portion of the aorta) from the diaphragm to the aortic bifurcation. Another system divides the aorta with respect to its course and the direction of blood flow. In this system, the aorta starts as the ascending aorta, travels superiorly from the heart, and then makes a hairpin turn known as the aortic arch. Following the aortic arch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jugular Vein Ectasia
Jugular vein ectasia is a venous anomaly that commonly presents itself as a unilateral neck swelling in children and adults. It is rare to have bilateral neck swelling due to internal jugular vein ectasia. References External links Vascular diseases {{circulatory-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a medical condition in which blood pools in the veins, straining the walls of the vein. The most common cause of CVI is superficial venous reflux which is a treatable condition. As functional venous valves are required to provide for efficient blood return from the lower extremities, this condition typically affects the legs. If the impaired vein function causes significant symptoms, such as swelling and ulcer formation, it is referred to as chronic venous disease. It is sometimes called ''chronic peripheral venous insufficiency'' and should not be confused with post-thrombotic syndrome in which the deep veins have been damaged by previous deep vein thrombosis. Most cases of CVI can be improved with treatments to the superficial venous system or stenting the deep system. Varicose veins for example can now be treated by local anesthetic endovenous surgery. Rates of CVI are higher in women than in men. Other risk factors include genetics, smok ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vein
Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart. In contrast to veins, arteries carry blood away from the heart. Veins are less muscular than arteries and are often closer to the skin. There are valves (called ''pocket valves'') in most veins to prevent backflow. Structure Veins are present throughout the body as tubes that carry blood back to the heart. Veins are classified in a number of ways, including superficial vs. deep, pulmonary vs. systemic, and large vs. small. * Superficial veins are those closer to the surface of the body, and have no corresponding arteries. *Deep veins are deeper in the body and have corresponding arteries. *Perforator veins drain from the superficial to the deep veins. These are usually referred to in the lower limbs and feet. *Communic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Telangiectasia
Telangiectasias, also known as spider veins, are small dilated blood vessels that can occur near the surface of the skin or mucous membranes, measuring between 0.5 and 1 millimeter in diameter. These dilated blood vessels can develop anywhere on the body, but are commonly seen on the face around the nose, cheeks and chin. Dilated blood vessels can also develop on the legs, although when they occur on the legs, they often have underlying venous reflux or "hidden varicose veins" (see Venous hypertension section below). When found on the legs, they are found specifically on the upper thigh, below the knee joint and around the ankles. Many patients with spider veins seek the assistance of physicians who specialize in vein care or peripheral vascular disease. These physicians are called vascular surgeons or phlebologists. More recently, interventional radiologists have started treating venous problems. Some telangiectasias are due to developmental abnormalities that can closely mimic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
