Dictionary

coarctation A narrowing, stricture, or constriction of an artery. The sides of the vessel at the point of a coarctation appear to be pressed together.

coarctation of the aorta Congenital constriction of the aorta that impedes the flow of blood below the level of the constriction and increases blood pressure above the constriction. Symptoms may not be evident at birth but may develop as soon as the first week after birth, with congestive heart failure or high blood pressure that…

cleft palate An opening in the roof of the mouth due to a failure of the palatal shelves to come fully together from either side of the mouth and fuse during the first months of development as an embryo. The opening in the palate permits communication between the nasal passages and the mouth. Surgery is…

cleft uvula A common minor anomaly in which the uvula (the tissue that hangs down at the back of the palate) is cleft, or parted by a fissure. Persons with a cleft uvula should not have their adenoids removed because without the adenoids they cannot achieve proper closure between the soft palate and pharynx while…

cleidocranial dysostosis A genetic disorder of bone development that is characterized by absent or incompletely formed collarbones and cranial and facial abnormalities that may include square skull, late closure of the sutures of the skull, late closure of the fontanels, low nasal bridge, delayed eruption of the teeth, and abnormal permanent teeth. A child with…

click-murmur syndrome See mitral valve prolapse.

climacteric 1 Menopause in women. 2 The time corresponding to menopause in the life of men.

clinical 1 Having to do with the examination and treatment of patients. 2 Applicable to patients. The term comes from the French “clinique” (at the bedside).

clinical cytogenetics The application of chromosome analysis to clinical medicine. For example, clinical cytogenetic testing is done to look for an extra chromosome 21 in a child who is suspected of having Down syndrome.

clinical depression Depressed mood that meets the DSM-IV criteria for a depressive disorder. The term clinical depression is commonly used to describe depression that is a type of mental illness—not a normal, temporary mood caused by life events or grieving.

clinical disease A disease that has recognizable clinical signs and symptoms, as distinct from a subclinical illness, which lacks detectable signs and symptoms. Diabetes, for example, can be a subclinical disease for some years before becoming a clinical disease.

clinical research trial A study that is intended to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medications or medical devices by monitoring their effects on large groups of people. Studies may be conducted by government health agencies (such as the National Institutes of Health [NIH]), researchers affiliated with hospital or university medical programs, independent researchers, or…