Stenosis
A stenosis (from Ancient Greek στενός, "narrow") is an abnormal narrowing in a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure such as foramina and canals. It is also sometimes called a stricture (as in urethral stricture).[3]
| Stenosis | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Stenoses | 
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| CT scan of a bronchial stenosis (arrow) that resulted from tracheobronchial injury | |
| Pronunciation | |
Stricture as a term is usually used when narrowing is caused by contraction of smooth muscle (e.g. achalasia, prinzmetal angina); stenosis is usually used when narrowing is caused by lesion that reduces the space of lumen (e.g. atherosclerosis).[4] The term coarctation is another synonym,[5] but is commonly used only in the context of aortic coarctation.[6][7]
Restenosis is the recurrence of stenosis after a procedure.[8]
Types
    
The resulting syndrome depends on the structure affected.
Examples of vascular stenotic lesions include:
- Intermittent claudication (peripheral artery stenosis)
 - Angina (coronary artery stenosis)
 - Carotid artery stenosis which predispose to (strokes and transient ischaemic episodes)[9]
 
The types of stenoses in heart valves are:
- Pulmonary valve stenosis, which is the thickening of the pulmonary valve, therefore causing narrowing
 - Mitral valve stenosis, which is the thickening of the mitral valve (of the left heart), therefore causing narrowing
 - Tricuspid valve stenosis, which is the thickening of the tricuspid valve (of the right heart), therefore causing narrowing
 - Aortic valve stenosis, which is the thickening of the aortic valve, therefore causing narrowing
 
Stenoses/strictures of other bodily structures/organs include:
- Pyloric stenosis (gastric outflow obstruction)
 - Lumbar, cervical or thoracic spinal stenosis
 - Subglottic stenosis (SGS)
 - Tracheal stenosis
 - Obstructive jaundice (biliary tract stenosis)
 - Bowel obstruction
 - Phimosis
 - Non-communicating hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis
 - Stenosing tenosynovitis
 - Atherosclerosis
 - Esophageal stricture
 - Achalasia
 - Prinzmetal angina
 - Vaginal stenosis
 - Meatal stenosis
 
Causes
    
- alcohol
 - atherosclerosis causes stenotic lesions in arteries.
 - birth defects
 - calcification
 - diabetes
 - headbanging – as in the case of Dave Mustaine
 - iatrogenic, e.g. secondary to radiation therapy
 - infection
 - inflammation
 - ischemia
 - neoplasm – in such cases, the stenosis is often said to be "malignant" or "benign", although this attribute actually refers to the neoplasm itself.
 - smoking
 - ureteral
 - urethral
 
Diagnosis
    
Stenoses of the vascular type are often associated with unusual blood sounds resulting from turbulent flow over the narrowed blood vessel. This sound can be made audible by a stethoscope, but diagnosis is generally made or confirmed with some form of medical imaging.
See also
    
    
References
    
- OED 2nd edition, 1989, as /stɪˈnəʊsɪs/.
 - Entry "stenosis" in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
 - "Dorlands Medical Dictionary:stenosis". www.mercksource.com. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
 - "What Is Atherosclerosis? - NHLBI, NIH". www.nhlbi.nih.gov. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
 - "coarctation" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
 - "Coarctation of the Aorta (CoA)". heart.org.
 - Groenemeijer, BE; Bakker, A; Slis, HW; Waalewijn, RA; Heijmen, RH (2008). "An unexpected finding late after repair of coarctation of the aorta". Netherlands Heart Journal. 16 (7–8): 260–3. doi:10.1007/bf03086158. PMC 2516290. PMID 18711614.
 - Forgos, Richard N. (August 2004). "Restenosis After Angioplasty and Stenting".
 - "Carotid Artery Stenosis". The Lecturio Medical Concept Library. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
 
External links
    
- "Tracheal Stenosis Audio and Video". Archived from the original on 2007-01-12.
 - "Symptoms of Urethral Stricture". 20 May 2011. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016.
 
