brachycephalic

brachycephalic

 [brak″e-sĕ-fal´ik]

having a short wide head.

brach·y·ce·phal·ic

(brak'ē-se-fal'ik),

Relating to or characterized by brachycephaly.

Synonym(s): brachycephalous

brachycephalic

(brăk′ĭ-sə-făl′ĭk) also

brachycephalous

(-sĕf′ə-ləs)

adj.

Having a short, broad head with a cephalic index over 80.

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brach′y·ceph′a·ly (-sĕf′ə-lē), brach′y·ceph′a·lism n.

brachycephalic

adjective Referring to a skull which is wider than it is long, usually due to premature closure of the coronal sutures of the cranial vault; it also occurs in young children who lie primarily on their backs without regularly moving position in the crib.

brachycephalic

Having a short, wide, almost spherical head.

brachycephalic

(of humans) having a short broad head, a characteristic common amongst the Mongolian people, where the breadth of the head is at least equivalent to the length. See CEPHALIC INDEX.

brachycephalic (brak´isəfal´ik),

adj descriptive term applied to a broad, round head having a cephalic index of more than 80.

brachycephalic

having a short wide head.

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brachycephalic breeds

those dog breeds with very short faces, e.g. Boxer, Bulldog, King Charles spaniel, Pekingese, Pug. Associated with this type of skull, these breeds suffer from anomalies of the upper respiratory tract such as stenotic nares, elongated soft palate, and everted laryngeal saccules, and associated disorders, e.g. facial fold dermatitis. They are also predisposed to neoplasms of chemoreceptor tissue.

brachycephalic obstructive syndrome

any of several upper airway disorders, prevalent in brachycephalic dogs, may lead to elongation and thickening of the soft palate, chronic pharyngitis and tonsillitis, inflammation and decreased diameter of the larynx and trachea. Conditions which predispose are everted laryngeal saccules, laryngeal collapse, stenotic nares.