bronchial spasm

spasm (spazm)

1. a sudden, violent, involuntary muscular contraction.

2. a sudden transitory constriction of a passage, canal, or orifice.

---

bronchial spasm  bronchospasm.

carpopedal spasm  spasm of the hand or foot, or of the thumbs and great toes, seen in tetany.

clonic spasm  a spasm consisting of clonic contractions.

facial spasm  tonic spasm of the muscles supplied by the facial nerve, involving the entire side of the face or confined to a limited area about the eye.

habit spasm  see under tic.

infantile spasms  a syndrome of severe myoclonus appearing in infancy and associated with general cerebral deterioration.

intention spasm  muscular spasm on attempting voluntary movement.

myopathic spasm  spasm accompanying disease of the muscles.

nodding spasm  a nodding motion of the head accompanied by nystagmus, seen in infants and young children.

saltatory spasm  clonic spasm of the muscles of the legs, producing a peculiar jumping or springing motion when standing.

tetanic spasm , tonic spasm tetanus (2).

toxic spasm  spasm caused by a toxin.

---

bronchial spasm.

See bronchospasm.

---

bronchial

pertaining to or affecting one or more bronchi.

---

bronchial calculus

a hard concretion formed in a bronchus by accretion about an inorganic nucleus or from calcified portions of lung tissue or adjacent lymph nodes.

bronchial edema

mucosal edema occurs in response to irritation and inflammation of tracheobronchial epithelium. Contributes to increased airway resistance.

feline bronchial asthma

a syndrome in cats characterized by acute episodes of coughing and dyspnea with wheezing. Usually recurrent and believed to be due to allergic reaction. Similar to allergic asthma in humans.

bronchial hypoplasia

swollen spongy tissue or cystic, lobulated tissue replaces lobes of normal lung tissue because of the impediment to air flow caused by dilated or collapsed hypoplastic bronchi; probably the basic defect in adenomatoid hamartoma or congenital adenomatoid malformation.

bronchial pattern

bronchi become more prominent in x-rays because they become more dense than surrounding air-filled lung tissue. Caused by peribronchial infiltration, fluid within the bronchus and calcification of the bronchial cartilage. Seen in chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis.

bronchial spasm

bronchospasm.

bronchial tones

are the sounds made by the respired air as it passes through the larger air passages of normal lungs. They are best heard over the bifurcation of the trachea. They are harsher and louder than the vesicular murmur, the normal sounds produced in the parenchyma of the lung.

bronchial tree

the bronchi and their branching subdivisions.

bronchial tumors

see pulmonary neoplasm.

---

spasm

1. a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles.

2. a sudden but transitory constriction of a passage, canal or orifice. Spasms usually occur when the nerves supplying muscles are irritated, and are commonly accompanied by pain. Occasionally a spasm may occur in a blood vessel, and is then called vasospasm.

Spasms vary from mild twitches to severe seizures and may be the signs of any number of disorders.

---

bronchial spasm

bronchospasm; spasmodic contraction of the muscular coat of the smaller divisions of the bronchi.

esophageal spasm

occurs mostly in young horses, the cause is unknown and the clinical syndrome is one of esophageal obstruction.

inherited congenital spasm's

in Jersey calves at birth; lethal within a few weeks; characterized by intermittent, vertical tremor of the head, neck and limbs, making progression and standing impossible; conditioned by a recessive gene.

muscle mass spasm

the basic functional defect in such diseases as Elso heel, inherited periodic spasticity.

nodding spasm

clonic spasm of the sternomastoid muscles, causing a nodding motion of the head.