-ectasia

DEFINITION of -ectasia

Forms nouns: ect--asia - dilation, enlargement (condition of going outward); Refers to dilation or enlargement of an organ. Examples include cardi- -ectasia (enlargement of the heart) and nephr- -ectasis (dilation of the kidney) -ectasia (also spelled -ectasis) describes the pathologic widening or stretching of a hollow, tubular, or vascular structure—such as bronch-i, blood vessels, ducts, ureters, or the cornea—often due to weakened walls from inflammation, infection, congenital defects, or pressure overload. Unlike normal physiologic dilation, it implies irreversible or chronic change (e.g., bronchi- -ectasis), potentially leading to impaired function, stasis, or rupture risk; treatment varies from monitoring to surgical correction depending on site and severity.

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ETYMOLOGY of -ectasia

• greek From Ancient Greek ἔκτασις (éktasis), meaning “stretching out, extension, dilation.”
• Breakdown: ἐκ- (ek-) (“out”) + τάσις (tásis) (“stretching, tension”).
• Latinized as -ectasia in 19th-century medical texts; modern suffix form established alongside -ectasis.

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RELATED TERMS to -ectasia

| -ectasia | dilation, enlargement | - | |:---------:|:----:|:----:| | -ectasis | Dilation of a tubular structure | - | | ectatic | Relating to, or marked by, -ectasis | - |

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DERIVATIONS of -ectasia

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Query functionality

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Med roots dictionary Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms