Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

aural vertigo, recurrent
See 
Ménière’s dis-
ease.
auricle 1
The principal projecting part of the ear,
also known as pinna.
2
A structure that is ear-
shaped, like the atrium of the heart, which is also
referred to as the auricle of the heart.
auricular
Of or pertaining to the outer ear, or to
something else that is ear-shaped, such as the
atrium of the heart.
auricular fibrillation
See 
fibrillation, atrial.
auscultate
To listen, for diagnostic purposes, to
the sounds made by the internal organs of the body.
For example, nurses and physicians auscultate the
lungs and heart of a patient by using a stethoscope
placed on the patient’s chest or back.
autism
A spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders
characterized by deficits in social interaction and
communication and by unusual and repetitive
behavior. Some, but not all, people with autism are
nonverbal. Autism is normally diagnosed before age
6, and it may be diagnosed in infancy in some cases.
The cause of autism is currently unknown, although
it is believed to involve an inherited or acquired
genetic defect involving multiple chromosomes,
possibly including chromosomes 6, 15, 17, and/or
the X chromosome. Autism is not caused by emo-
tional trauma, as was once theorized. Autistic
or autistic-like behavior may be caused by other
attack, vasovagal
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neurological conditions—particularly the seizure
disorder Landau-Kleffner syndrome—certain forms
of encephalitis, and several genetic disorders,
including Angelman syndrome and Rett syndrome.
Also known as Kanner syndrome or infantile autism.
See also 
Asperger syndrome; elective mutism;
fragile X syndrome; Landau-Kleffner syndrome;
Prader-Willi syndrome; Rett syndrome.