ventriculaire

Ventriculaire is an adjective used in medical French to designate something related to a ventricule, a hollow chamber in an organ. The term is most often applied to the cardiac ventricles—the right and left ventricles of the heart—and to the cerebral ventricular system, which includes the lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ventricle filled with cerebrospinal fluid. The word can refer to anatomy, physiology, or pathology involving these chambers.

In cardiology, ventricular terms describe the function and diseases of the heart’s ventricles. Examples include tachycardie ventriculaire (ventricular tachycardia), fibrillation ventriculaire (ventricular fibrillation), and insuffisance ventriculaire gauche ou droite (left- or right-ventricular failure). Assessment often relies on imaging modalities such as echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, or computed tomography to evaluate ventricular size, wall motion, and systolic function. Ventriculomegalie denotes enlargement of a ventricle, which can occur in various cardiac or neurologic contexts.

In neurology and neurosurgery, the ventricular system comprises interconnected cavities within the brain that produce and contain cerebrospinal fluid. Abnormalities may include hydrocephalus (accumulation of CSF leading to ventricular dilation), ventriculitis, or other conditions affecting ventricular anatomy and CSF dynamics. Diagnostic and operative procedures sometimes focus on the ventricles, such as ventriculography or ventriculostomy.

Etymology-wise, ventriculaire derives from ventricle, from Latin ventriculus, with the French suffix -aire forming an adjective. The term is widely used across clinical disciplines to indicate relation to a ventricle rather than to the entire organ.