#pulmonology

• Alveolitis — An inflammatory or infectious process localized within an alveolus. In dentistry (post-extraction alveolitis), it represents a painful complication occurring after a tooth extraction due to the infection or absence of the protective blood clot; in pulmonology, it denotes the inflammation of the lung alveoli caused by allergic, infectious, or toxic factors, structurally impairing respiratory capacity.
• Amphoric — Relating to the characteristic breath sound or murmur resembling that produced by blowing across the mouth of an empty jug; a structurally altered pathological pulmonary murmur indicating the presence of a large cavity (tuberculous cavern) or a significant pneumothorax within the thoracic cage.
• Amphorism — A pathological acoustic phenomenon perceived through auscultation, characterized by the presence of amphoric resonance or metallic breath sounds resembling blowing into an empty container. This structural sign most often indicates the existence of a large pulmonary cavern or the onset of a spontaneous pneumothorax.
• Amphorophony — A pathological acoustic phenomenon observed during thoracic auscultation, characterized by an altered timbre of the voice or breath sounds, which acquire a distinct metallic resonance similar to speaking across the mouth of an empty jug. This structural anomaly indicates the presence of a large, aerated pulmonary cavity with rigid walls, or the existence of a pneumothorax.
• Anthracosis — A chronic respiratory lung disease belonging to the pneumoconiosis category, caused by the prolonged inhalation and accumulation of fine coal dust particles within the lung tissue. This occupational disease, common among miners, causes black pigmentation of the lungs, impaired alveolar elasticity, and can progress to progressive pulmonary fibrosis.
• Asthmatic — Suffering from bronchial asthma or manifesting the clinical symptoms characteristic of this chronic respiratory disease (dyspnea, wheezing, coughing); (as an adjective) belonging to asthma, caused by it, or relating to the paroxysmal attacks of suffocation triggered by bronchospasm and airway inflammation.
• Aspergilloma — A pseudotumoral fungal mass, appearing as a ball or conglomerate, developed by the colonization of fungi from the Aspergillus genus (especially Aspergillus fumigatus) within a pre-existing pulmonary cavity (such as those left by tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, or air cysts). Also known as a fungus ball, it develops without invading the surrounding lung tissue, but can cause severe hemoptysis by eroding adjacent blood vessels.
• Asthmology — A specialized branch of pulmonology and allergology that deals exclusively with the theoretical study, clinical diagnosis, pathogenic mechanisms, treatment, and prevention of bronchial asthma and correlated asthma-like syndromes. Although often integrated into broader respiratory medical disciplines, it represents an advanced research field focused on airway immunology and the development of targeted biological therapies.
• Atelectasis — A pathological respiratory condition consisting of the total or partial collapse of pulmonary alveoli, leading to the loss of air content from the affected lung parenchyma and the inability to perform gas exchange. It can be congenital, occurring in newborns due to failure of lung expansion at birth, or acquired in adults due to airway obstruction by mucous plugs, tumors, foreign bodies, or extrinsic compression exerted by pleural fluid or air.