Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Glossary of Terms

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

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

Angina: Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The pain is ...

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

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

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...

Balloon angioplasty: Coronary angioplasty is accomplished using a balloon-tipped catheter ...

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...

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

CABG: Coronary artery bypass graft; and Coronary artery bypass grafting.

Cardiologist: A physician who specializes in treating heart disorders.

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

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

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...

Cocaine: A substance derived from the leaves of the coca plant that is a bitter, addictive...

Congestive heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it, with f...

Coronary arteries: The vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood rich in oxygen. The...

Coronary artery bypass graft: Abbreviated CABG. A form of bypass surgery that can create n...

Coronary artery disease: Impedance or blockage of one or more arteries that supply blood t...

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

Esophageal: Related to the esophagus.

Femoral: Having to do with the femur.

Femoral artery: The continuation of the external iliac artery after it passes under the in...

Genetics: The scientific study of heredity. Genetics pertains to humans and all other orga...

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 failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically...

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

Hematoma: A localized swelling that is filled with blood caused by a break in the wall of ...

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

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

Insertion: A chromosome abnormality that is due to insertion of a segment from one chromos...

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Lumen: A luminous term referring to the channel within a tube such as a blood vessel or to...

Mortality: A fatal outcome or, in one word, death. The word "mortality" is derived from "m...

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

Myocardial infarction: A heart attack. Abbreviated MI.

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...

Percutaneous: Through the skin. For example, a percutaneous biopsy is a biopsy that is obt...

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: The use of a balloon-tipped catheter to en...

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

PTCA: Percutaneous transluminal coronary 'angioplasty.

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Rehabilitation: The process of helping a person who has suffered an illness or injury rest...

Restenosis: Renarrowing, as in restenosis of a coronary artery after angioplasty. From the...

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

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

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...

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

Synthesis: Putting together different entities to make a whole which is new and different....

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

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