Definition of nuchal in English:
nuchal
adjective ˈnjuːk(ə)lˈn(j)uk(ə)l
Anatomy Relating to the nape of the neck.
Example sentencesExamples
- The excised nodule consisted of fibrocartilaginous tissue surrounded by dense connective tissue of the nuchal ligament.
- Palpation of the head in patients with tension-type headache may reveal tenderness in the pericranial muscles and tension in the nuchal musculature or trapezius.
- The ultrasound examination looks for a thickening of skin behind the fetal neck, called the nuchal fold, which sometimes occurs in Down syndrome and, possibly, other birth defects.
- If patients show signs of increased intracranial pressure or nuchal rigidity, immediate CT scanning of the brain, orbits, and sinuses should be performed.
- He considered that this change is secondary to mechanical factors, acting during the neck flexion, when the thick nuchal ligament is subjected to pressure and trauma as it passes over the spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from obsolete nucha 'nape' (from medieval Latin nucha 'medulla oblongata', from Arabic nuḵa‘ 'spinal marrow') + -al.
Definition of nuchal in US English:
nuchal
adjectiveˈn(y)o͞ok(ə)lˈn(j)uk(ə)l
Anatomy Relating to the nape of the neck.
Example sentencesExamples
- The ultrasound examination looks for a thickening of skin behind the fetal neck, called the nuchal fold, which sometimes occurs in Down syndrome and, possibly, other birth defects.
- He considered that this change is secondary to mechanical factors, acting during the neck flexion, when the thick nuchal ligament is subjected to pressure and trauma as it passes over the spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae.
- If patients show signs of increased intracranial pressure or nuchal rigidity, immediate CT scanning of the brain, orbits, and sinuses should be performed.
- Palpation of the head in patients with tension-type headache may reveal tenderness in the pericranial muscles and tension in the nuchal musculature or trapezius.
- The excised nodule consisted of fibrocartilaginous tissue surrounded by dense connective tissue of the nuchal ligament.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from obsolete nucha ‘nape’ (from medieval Latin nucha ‘medulla oblongata’, from Arabic nuḵa‘ ‘spinal marrow’) + -al.