Blood Clots Glossary of Terms

1. Spider and Varicose Veins Slideshow Pictures
2. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Slideshow Pictures

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

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.

Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Angioplasty: Procedure with a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowing in a coronary...

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

Arteriosclerosis: Hardening and thickening of the walls of the arteries. Arteriosclerosis ...

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

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Atrial: Pertaining to the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, as in atrial fibrillatio...

Atrial fibrillation: An abnormal and irregular heart rhythm in which electrical signals ar...

Atrium: An entry chamber. On both sides of the heart, the atrium is the chamber that leads...

Birth control: Birth control is the use of any practices, methods, or devices to prevent p...

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Bladder infection: Infection of the urinary bladder. Some people are at more risk for blad...

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...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Capillary: A tiny blood vessel that connects an arteriole (the smallest division of an art...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

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

Cardiovascular disease: Disease affecting the heart or blood vessels.

Carotid: Pertaining to the carotid artery and the area near that key artery, which is loca...

Cascade: A sequence of successive activation reactions involving enzymes (enzyme cascade) ...

Cast: 1) A protective shell of fiberglass, plastic, or plaster, and bandage that is molde...

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

Cellulitis: A spreading bacterial infection underneath the skin surface characterized by r...

Cerebral: Of or pertaining to the cerebrum or the brain.

Cerebrovascular: Pertaining to the blood vessels and, especially, the arteries that supply...

Cerebrovascular accident: The sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of oxygen whe...

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...

Chest X-ray: A type of X-ray commonly used to detect abnormalities in the lungs. A chest X...

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...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Computerized tomography: Pictures of structures within the body created by a computer that...

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...

CVA: Cerebrovascular accident.

D-dimer: A fragment produced during the degradation of a clot. The D here stands for domai...

Deep vein thrombosis: A blood clot within a deep vein, typically in the thigh or leg. The ...

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 ...

Diverticulitis: Inflammation of the diverticula (small outpouchings) along the wall of th...

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

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...

Embolism: The obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance or a blood clot that tr...

Embolization: A treatment that clogs small blood vessels and blocks the flow of blood, suc...

Embolus: A blockage or plug that obstructs a blood 'vessel. Examples of emboli are detache...

Enoxaparin: A low-molecular-weight version of heparin that acts like heparin as an anticoa...

Enzymes: Proteins that act as a catalysts in mediating and speeding a specific chemical re...

Extremity: An uttermost part of the body, such as a hand or a foot.

Factor X: A coagulation factor, a substance in blood essential to the normal clotting proc...

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

Fibrillation: In cardiology, an abnormal and erratic twitching of the heart muscle.

Fibrin: The protein that is formed during normal blood clotting and that is the essence of...

Fluoroscopy: An x-ray procedure that makes it possible to see internal organs in motion.

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 muscle: A type of muscle with unique features only found in the heart. The heart mus...

Hemorrhoids: Dilated (enlarged) veins in the walls of the anus and sometimes around the re...

Heparin: An anticoagulant (anti-clotting) medication. Heparin is useful in preventing thro...

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

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

Hormone therapy: Treatment of disease or symptoms with synthetic or naturally derived horm...

Hypoxia: A lower-than-normal concentration of oxygen in arterial blood, as opposed to anox...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Infarction: The formation of an infarct, an area of tissue death, due to a local lack of o...

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 ...

Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion...

Jaw: The movable junction of the bones below the mouth (the mandible) and the bone just ab...

Knee: The knee is a joint which has three parts. The thigh bone (the femur) meets the lar...

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

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

Menstrual: Pertaining to menstruation (the menses), as in last menstrual period, menstrua...

Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within a living organism. ...

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Myocardial infarction: A heart attack. Abbreviated MI.

Myoglobin: The pigment in muscle that carries oxygen.

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

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

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

Occlude: 1 To close, obstruct, or prevent the passage. To occlude an artery is to o...

Occlusion: The act of occluding. See: Occlude.

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

Operating room: A facility that is equipped for performing surgery. Abbreviated OR.

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special func...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

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

Perfusion: A chemotherapy technique that may be used when melanoma occurs on an arm or leg...

Peripheral: Situated away from the center, as opposed to centrally located.

Peripheral artery disease: A form of peripheral vascular disease in which there is partial...

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

Platelet: An irregular, disc-shaped element in the blood that assists in blood clotting....

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

Prostate: A gland within the male reproductive system that is located just below the blad...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism: Sudden closure of a pulmonary artery or one of its branches, caused by...

Pulmonary embolus: A blood clot or foreign material that has been carried through the bloo...

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

Radiation therapy: The use of high-energy rays to damage cancer cells, stopping them from ...

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

Rectal bleeding: Blood passed rectally. Blood in the stool can be bright red or maroon in ...

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...

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

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

Stool: The solid matter that is discharged in a bowel movement.

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

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...

Superficial: In anatomy, on the surface or shallow. As opposed to deep. The skin is superf...

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...

Symptomatic: 1 With symptoms, as a symptomatic infection. 2 Characteristic o...

Therapeutic: Relating to therapeutics, the branch of medicine that is concerned specifical...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Thrombi: Plural of thrombus.

Thrombin: An enzyme that presides over the conversion of a substance called fibrinogen to ...

Thrombophlebitis: Inflammation of a vein that occurs when a blood clot forms.

Thrombosis: The formation or presence of a blood clot in a blood vessel. The vessel may be...

Thrombus: A clot in a blood vessel or within the heart.

TIA: Transient ischemic attack.

Tissue plasminogen activator: (tPA) An enzyme that helps dissolve clots. tPA is made by th...

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

tPA: See: Tissue plasminogen activator.

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are a classic sign of inflammation, and can be ...

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

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Uterus: A hollow, pear-shaped organ that is located in a woman's lower abdomen, between th...

Vagina: The muscular canal that extends from the cervix to the outside of the body. It is ...

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

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

Ventilation: The exchange of air between the lungs and the atmosphere so that oxygen can ...

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

Vitamin K: One of two naturally occurring fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin K1 and vitamin K2)...

Warfarin: An anticoagulant drug (brand names: Coumarin, Panwarfin, Sofarin) taken to prev...

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