Aortic Aneurysm Glossary of Terms

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Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal aneurysm: An aneurysm situated within the abdomen (belly). An aneurysm is a loc...

Abdominal aorta: The abdominal aorta is the final section of the aorta, the largest ar...

Abdominal aortic aneurysm: A balloon-like swelling in the wall of the aorta within the abd...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Adventitia: The outermost connective tissue covering of any organ, vessel, or other struct...

Anesthesia: Loss of feeling or awareness, as when an anesthetic is administered before sur...

Aneurysm: A localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, a vein, or the heart. At the poi...

Angiogram: An X-ray image of blood vessels. The vessels can be seen because a contrast dye...

Aorta: The largest artery in the body, the aorta arises from the left ventricle of the he...

Aortic: Pertaining to the aorta, the largest artery in the body.

Aortic aneurysm: An outpouching (a local widening) of the largest artery in the body, the ...

Aortic dissection: A progressive tear in the aorta. The inner lining (intima) of the aorta...

Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the far...

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, w...

Asymptomatic: Without symptoms. For example, an asymptomatic infection is an infection wit...

Atherosclerosis: A process of progressive thickening and hardening of the walls of medium-...

Atherosclerotic: Pertaining to atherosclerosis, the process of progressive thickening and ...

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Belly: That part of the body that contains all of the structures between the chest and t...

Beta blocker: A class of drugs that block the effect of beta-adrenergic substances such as...

Blood clot: A mass of coagulated blood. A blood clot can block a major blood vessel, causi...

Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Bruit: A sound heard over an artery or vascular channel, reflecting turbulence of flow. Mo...

Bypass: An operation in which a new pathway is created for the transport of substances in ...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Cardiopulmonary: Having to do with both the heart and lungs.

Cardiopulmonary bypass: Bypass of the heart and lungs (for example, during open-heart surg...

Cardiovascular: Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood ve...

Cardiovascular system: The heart and blood vessels. Also known as circulatory system.

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Cholesterol: The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for...

Circulatory: Having to do with circulation, the movement of fluid in a regular or circuito...

Circulatory system: The system that moves blood throughout the body. The circulatory syste...

Computed tomography: An x-ray procedure that uses the help of a computer to produce a deta...

Connective tissue: A material made up of fibers forming a framework and support structure...

Connective tissue disease: A disease (autoimmune or otherwise) that attacks the collagen o...

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Descending aorta: The descending aorta is the part of the aorta, the largest artery in t...

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dissection: The process of cutting apart or separating tissue as, for example, in the stud...

Distal: The more (or most) distant of two (or more) things. For example, the distal end of...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

ECG: Electrocardiogram.

Echocardiography: Echocardiography is a diagnostic test which uses ultrasound waves to m...

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: A heritable disorder of connective tissue that is characterized by...

Electrocardiogram: A recording of the electrical activity of the heart. Abbreviated ECG an...

Emboli: Something that travels through the bloodstream, lodges in a blood vessel and block...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Familial: A condition that tends to occur more often in family members than is expected by...

Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

Graft: Healthy skin, bone, kidney, liver, or other tissue that is taken from one part of t...

Groin: The area where the thigh meets the hip.

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate ...

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

Hypertension: High blood pressure, defined as a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceedi...

Incision: A cut through skin or other tissue performed by a health care professional.

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Intensive care: See critical care.

Internal bleeding: Bleeding inside the body that is not seen from the outside. Internal bl...

Interventional: Pertaining to the act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the ...

Interventional radiologist: A radiologist who uses image guidance methods to gain access t...

Ischemia: Inadequate blood supply to a local area due to blockage of blood vessels leading...

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

Large bowel: Another name for the large intestine.

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Low blood pressure: Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individua...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Magnetic resonance imaging: A procedure that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer t...

Marfan syndrome: An inherited disorder of connective tissue that is characterized by abnor...

Medial: 1. Pertaining to the middle; in or toward the middle; nearer the middle of ...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Muscular: Having to do with the muscles. Also, endowed with above average muscle developme...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Necrosis: The death of living cells or tissues. Necrosis can be due, for example, to ische...

Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal o...

Operation: In medicine, a surgical procedure. Many operations are named after persons. The...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pelvis: The lower part of the abdomen, located between the hip bones. Structures in the fe...

Plaque: 1. An semi-hardened accumulation of substances from fluids that bathe an a...

Predispose: To make more likely or render susceptible. Smoking predisposes to a number of ...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Primary care: A patient's main source for regular medical care, ideally providing continui...

Probe: (1) In surgery, a probe is a slender flexible rod with a blunt end used to e...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Psoriasis: A reddish, scaly rash often located over the surfaces of the elbows, knees, sca...

Pulse: The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart. Pulse is...

Radiologist: A physician specialized in radiology, the branch of medicine that uses ionizi...

Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of joint...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

Rupture: A break or tear in any organ (such as the spleen) or soft tissue (such as the ach...

Scaffold: 1. In genetics, the chromosome structure consisting entirely of nonhiston...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Sexually transmitted disease: Any disease transmitted by sexual contact; caused by microo...

Shock: In medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Spinal cord: The major column of nerve tissue that is connected to the brain and lies with...

Stent: A tube designed to be inserted into a vessel or passageway to keep it open. Stents ...

Stethoscope: An instrument that is used to transmit low-volume sounds such as a heartbeat ...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Strain: 1. An injury to a tendon or muscle resulting from overuse or trauma. 2. A heredita...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. The...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Syphilis: A sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum, a microscopic orga...

Thoracic: Pertaining to the chest. For example, the thoracic aorta is the part of the aort...

Thoracic aorta: The thoracic aorta is a section of the aorta, the largest artery in the ...

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Thrombi: Plural of thrombus.

Tomography: The process for generating a tomogram, a two-dimensional image of a slice or s...

Tubes: The "tubes" are medically known as the Fallopian tubes. There are two Fallopian tub...

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

Vascular: Relating to blood vessels. For example, the vascular system in the body includes...

Vasculitis: A general term for a group of uncommon diseases that feature inflammation of t...

Ventricle: A chamber of an organ. For example, the four connected cavities in the central ...

Vessel: A tube in the body that carries fluids. Examples of vessels are blood vessels and ...

Vital: Necessary to maintain life. For example, breathing is a vital function.

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...