The act of expanding or stretching an organ or vessel by artificial or physiologic means. The term is often used interchangeably yet incorrectly with dilatation, which is the expansion or stretching beyond what is normal for an organ or vessel, usually due to an abnormal condition or a pathological cause.
The contents of this glossary is funded in part through a sub-award from RTI as the lead partner for the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence through a Cooperative Agreement from the National Institute of Justice (2011-DN-BX-K564 and 2016-MU-BK-K110), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies and any services or tools provided).