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Fallot's tetralogy

Fallot's tetralogy

9.5
A heart problem present at birth that makes the skin turn blue because four parts of the heart are wrong
  • noun
  • /fəˈloʊz ˌtɛtrəˈlɑːdʒi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tetralogía de Fallot
  • The cardiologist diagnosed the infant with Fallot's tetralogy after noticing symptoms of cyanosis.

Examples

  • Surgery is often required to correct Fallot's tetralogy in young children.

  • Children with Fallot's tetralogy often exhibit cyanosis.

  • Advances in medical imaging have improved the detection of Fallot's tetralogy before birth.

  • The doctor diagnosed her with Fallot's tetralogy after the examination.

  • The cardiologist diagnosed the infant with Fallot's tetralogy after noticing symptoms of cyanosis.

  • Surgery is often required to correct Fallot's tetralogy in young children.

  • Advances in medical imaging have improved the detection of Fallot's tetralogy before birth.

Synonyms

congenital heart defect
vsFallot's tetralogy
  • Specialized
4 3.9

A heart problem present at birth that changes the heart's shape or how it works

is a specific four-part type causing cyanosis rather than any heart defect
tetralogy of Fallot
vsFallot's tetralogy
  • Specialized
7.3

A heart problem present at birth with four defects that change blood flow

is the same condition but described without listing the specific defects
Fallot's syndrome
vsFallot's tetralogy
  • Specialized
8.1

A heart condition present at birth with four defects that make blood low in oxygen and cause blue skin

is the same condition expressed with a different name in medical usage

Surface Forms

Morphology

Fallot's + tetralogy

This is an eponymous medical term: 'Fallot's' is a proper name and 'tetralogy' is a specialized formation referring to a set of four abnormalities—neither element yields the clinical sense of a congenital heart defect to an average B1 learner. The meaning is technical and language-specific (medical), so knowing the surface constituents would not allow a learner to infer the full clinical diagnosis without prior medical knowledge.

Etymology

Fallot's tetralogy is named after Doctor Fallot, who first described this heart condition. The word tetralogy means 'four things', so the name reminds us that it is a heart problem made of four different faults that often make a baby look 'blue'.