immotile cilia syndrome

immotile cilia syndrome /imō″til/ [L, im + motilis, movable, cilia, eyelashes; Gk, syn, together, dromos, course] , a condition in which cilia, the hairlike processes of epithelial cells, fail to function normally. As a result, the patient has difficulty in filtering dust and other airborne debris from the respiratory system. See also Kartagener’s syndrome.