Bma Illustrated Medical Dictionary

The British Medical Association ILLUSTRATED MEDICAL DICTIONARY CORONARY ARTERY Superior vena cava Pulmonary veins Right main coronary artery Aorta Left main coronary artery Left circumflex artery Left anterior descending artery Coronary vein Inferior vena cava Descending aorta coronary Any structure that encircles like a crown. The term usually refers to the coronary arteries encircling the heart. It is also sometimes used as a nonmedical term for a heart attack (see myocardial infarction). coronary artery Either of the 2 main arteries that supply the tissues of the heart with oxygen-rich blood. These arteries, known as the left and right main coronary arteries, arise directly from the aorta. The term coronary artery is also applied to any of the arteries that branch off from the main coronary arteries, such as the left circumflex artery and the left anterior descending artery. Blockage of a coronary artery as a result of atherosclerosis can lead to myocardial infarction. (See also coronary artery disease.) Essential A–Z quick reference to over 5,500 medical terms The British Medical Association ILLUSTRATED MEDICAL DICTIONARY A Dorling Kindersley Book ABDOMEN A ABDOMINAL SWELLING intake, eating unwisely, or an attack of diarrhoea. Pain in the lower abdomen is common during menstruation but is occasionally due to a gynaecological disorder such as endometriosis. Cystitis is a common cause of pain or discomfort in the abdomen. Bladder distension as a result of urinary obstruction may also cause abdominal pain. Abdomi