Definition of Primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia: The immotile cilia syndrome, a condition in which poorly functioning cilia (hairlike projections from cells) in the respiratory tract contribute to retention of secretions and recurrent infection. The condition is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and is due to mutation in one of several different genes located on chromosomes 5, 9 and 19. About half of patients have Kartagener syndrome (bronchiectasis, sinusitis, and situs inversus in which the normal asymmetry of the body is partially or totally reversed).