cardiospasm

[ kahr-dee-uh-spaz-uhm ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. failure of the muscle fibers at the lower end of the esophagus to relax, resulting in swallowing difficulty and regurgitation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cardiospasm¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; cardio- + spasm

Example Sentences

In the author's opinion there is no spasm in the disease called "cardiospasm."

From Project Gutenberg

A stomach cramp is a not infrequent cause of serious pain referred to the heart, and the rare condition of cardiospasm must also be remembered as a cause of pseudo-angina.

From Project Gutenberg

It is the failure of this hiatal sphincter to open as in the normal deglutitory cycle that produces the syndrome called "cardiospasm."

From Project Gutenberg

There is no sphincteric muscular arrangement at the cardiac orifice of the esophagus, so that spasmodic stenosis at this level is not possible and the term cardiospasm is, therefore, a misnomer.

From Project Gutenberg

It was first demonstrated by the author that in so-called cardiospasm the functional closure of the esophagus occurred at the diaphragmatic level, and that it was due to the "diaphragmatic pinchcock."

From Project Gutenberg