Transient Ischemic Attack (Mini-Stroke) Glossary of Terms

1. Understanding Stroke Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Stroke Quiz
3. Slideshow: Atrial Fibrillation Causes, Tests, and Treatment

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

Amaurosis fugax: A symptom described as a shade coming down over the eye. A partial or com...

Anatomy: The study of human or animal form, by observation or examination of the living be...

Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity ...

Anterior: The front, as opposed to the posterior. The anterior surface of the heart is tow...

Aphasia: Literally, no speech. Aphasia may also be used to describe defects in spoken expr...

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...

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

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

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...

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 count: The calculated number of white or red blood cells (WBCs or RBCs) in a cubic m...

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

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

Broca's area: An area of the cerebral motor cortex in the frontal lobe of the brain that ...

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

Carotid artery: Either of the two key arteries located in the front of the neck, through w...

Carotid endarterectomy: Endarterectomy (a surgical procedure designed to clean out materia...

CBC: A commonly used abbreviation in medicine that stands for complete blood count, a set...

Cerebellum: The portion of the brain that is in the back of the head, between the cerebrum...

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...

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

Circulation: In medicine, the movement of fluid through the body in a regular or circuitou...

Complete blood count: A set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These meas...

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

CVA: Cerebrovascular accident.

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 ...

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

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

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

Endarterectomy: An operation to clean out an artery and restore normal blood flow through ...

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

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

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Glucose: The simple sugar that is the chief source of energy. Glucose is found in the bloo...

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 ...

Heart valves: There are four heart valves. All are one-way valves. Blood entering the ...

Hemorrhage: Bleeding or the abnormal flow of blood.

Hemorrhagic: Pertaining to bleeding or the abnormal flow of blood.

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

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

Limb: An arm or a leg.

Lipid: Another word for "fat." (Please see the various meanings of Fat.) A lipid is more f...

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

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

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Neurologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of th...

Occipital: 1. Pertaining to the occiput, the back of head.
2. Located...

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

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

Ophthalmic: Pertaining to the eye. For example, an ophthalmic ointment is designed for the...

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...

Paralysis: Loss of voluntary movement (motor function). Paralysis that affects only one mu...

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

Posterior: The back or behind, as opposed to the anterior.

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

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

Primary care provider: In insurance parlance, a physician who is chosen by or assigned to ...

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

Referral: The recommendation of a medical or paramedical professional. If you get a refer...

Retina: The retina is the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye, senses light, and c...

Risk factor: Something that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. For exam...

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

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

Sclerosis: Localized hardening of skin. Sclerosis is generally caused by underlying diseas...

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

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

Stenosis: A narrowing. For example, aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve in ...

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

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

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

TIA: Transient ischemic attack.

tPA: See: Tissue plasminogen activator.

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

Unilateral: Having, or relating to, one side. For example, a unilateral rash is one that i...

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

Vertebral column: The 33 vertebrae that fit together to form a flexible, yet extraordinari...

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

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