Abnormally increased distance between two organs or parts.
A condition in which there is too much space between two organs or parts of the body.
Hypertelorism refers to the physical finding of wide separation of the eyes. This diagnosis is made by measuring the inner canthal distance (ICD), which is the space between the junctions of the eyelids along either side of the bridge of the nose. When ICD equals or exceeds three standard deviations above normal for the child’s age, one can be confident of the diagnosis. To confirm their clinical impression, clinicians consult genetics textbooks, which contain graphs of various facial measurements, including ICD. Hypertelorism is often associated with other eye abnormalities. The most common of these are exotropia (external deviation of the eye) and optic atrophy (underdevelopment of the optic nerve).
Abnormal distance between two paired organs, especially the eyes.