Definition

Noun: * Inflammation of the outer coat of an artery: A medical condition characterized by the swelling and irritation of the tunica adventitia, the outermost layer of an arterial wall.

Usage

• Periarteritis is a specific term used in pathology and vascular medicine to describe a localized inflammatory process.
• It is often discussed in the context of distinguishing it from other types of vasculitis that affect different layers of the blood vessel.
• Example:

Advanced Usage

• Periarteritis nodosa: This is a historical and now largely obsolete term for what is currently classified as polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), a serious systemic necrotizing inflammation of small and medium-sized arteries. While "periarteritis" in this compound name refers to inflammation around the artery, modern understanding places the primary lesion within the arterial wall itself.
  • Example: In older medical literature, you may find references to periarteritis nodosa instead of polyarteritis nodosa.

Variants and Related Words

• Periarteritic (adjective): Relating to or affected by periarteritis.
  • Example: The tissue showed periarteritic changes under the microscope.

Synonyms

• Adventitial inflammation: A more descriptive, non-specific synonym referring to inflammation of the adventitia.
• Periarterial inflammation: A general term meaning inflammation surrounding an artery.

Different Meanings

• The term periarteritis has a single, specific medical meaning. It is not used in general or figurative language.

Noun

1. inflammation of the outer coat of an artery