having may bends and twists....it is often used to describe the course an artery takes...having a tortuous course enables the artery to "feed" an area thoroughly with blood.
tortuous
The tortuous climb wore me out.
Tortuous means twisting, winding, or excessively complicated. It is often used to describe a path, route, or process that is not direct or straightforward.
the two words are not connected; tortuous means suffering and pain.
The climb up the mountain was tortuous and brutal.
The U.S. Marine Corps' obstacle course is touted as being quite tortuous. My dental exam was so tortuous that I actually had muscle cramps afterward.
The noun form for the adjective tortuous is tortuousness. Another noun form is torture.
A mountain road is tortuous. My singing is torturous. And when I violate a contract I am being tortious.
twisted vessels
severe
It is an aortic arch with an aneurysm.
The phrase "thoracic aorta is minimally tortuous but normal in caliber" indicates that the thoracic aorta, which is the part of the aorta running through the chest, has a slight curvature or bending (minimally tortuous) but maintains a size that is within the normal range (normal in caliber). This suggests that, despite the mild tortuosity, there are no significant abnormalities or blockages in the aorta's diameter. Overall, it implies that the structure of the thoracic aorta is generally healthy.