Glossary

ACC - American College of Cardiology

ACCME - Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education

ACGME - Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

ANEURYSM - Weakening of the wall of an artery, resulting in an enlargement or bulge in the artery.

ANGIOGENESIS - The growth of new blood vessels.

ANGIOPLASTY - A procedure that widens arteries that have grown narrower or become clogged (blocked) due to arterial disease. A thin tube called a catheter, with a balloon at its tip, is inserted into an artery and guided to the blockages in the artery (or arteries). The balloon is then inflated to break up plaque lining the walls of the artery, opening up the artery for blood flow.

ANGIOPLASTY (LASER) - Has the same intent as a regular angioplasty, but this procedure uses a catheter with a laser tip. The laser vaporizes the plaque to clear the artery.

AORTA - The main blood vessel of the arterial system.

AORTIC (VASCULAR) DISEASE - A condition in which the walls of the aorta become hardened and/or clogged with plaque.

ATHERECTOMY (DIRECTIONAL) - A procedure that uses a catheter to shave off and remove plaque.

ATHERECTOMY (ROTATIONAL) - A procedure that uses a catheter with a rotating tip to break up a plaque into very small particles that wash away in the bloodstream. This usually reserved for the treatment of highly calcified, hardened plaque. Typically, angioplasty or stent placement will follow the atherectomy procedure.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS - Hardening of the arteries.

ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE - Also called coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease, this occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart become blocked. When this occurs, usually chest pain or angina will result.

BRACHYTHERAPY - A procedure in which radiation is delivered within an artery to prevent its reclosing (restenosis) - used in combination with angioplasty or stenting.

CARDIAC ARREST - Sudden, abrupt loss of heart function.

CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION - The process of inserting a thin tube (catheter) into an artery (through the groin, arm or wrist), threading it up to the arteries near the heart, in order to perform angiography, angioplasty, atherectomy, stenting, or other related cardiac procedures.

CAROTID ARTERIES - The two major arteries, located on each side of the neck, carrying blood from the heart to the brain.

CATHETER - A thin flexible tube inserted into a blood vessel to supply medication, or perform various procedures (see CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION).

CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE - Develops when the coronary arteries narrow. If blood flow is restricted to the point where insufficient oxygen reaches the heart muscle, chest pain (angina), heart attack (myocardial infarction), or cardiac arrest may occur. Also synonymous with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease.

EMBOLISM - The sudden blocking of an artery, most often caused by a blood clot.

ENDOVASCULAR - Meaning "within" or "through" a blood vessel (such as endovascular surgery).

FDA - Food and Drug Administration.

GENE THERAPY - An evolving technique involving replacement, manipulation, or supplementation of nonfunctional genes with healthy genes.

GENETIC MARKER - A segment of DNA whose physical location on a chromosome is known, so that the inheritance of the gene can be followed.

HEART ATTACK - Also known as myocardial infarction (MI), this occurs when a portion of the heart muscle loses its blood supply. Symptoms vary, but may include: chest pain, nausea, vomiting, sweating, shortness of breath, palpitations, and/or dizziness.

HEART FAILURE - Occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently, so that the body's need for oxygen is not being met. Also called congestive heart failure.

HUMAN GENOME PROJECT - An international effort to sequence all of the "base pairs" in human DNA, and to identify all of our 30 to 40 thousand genes.

IMAGING MODALITIES - Radiology technologies such as CAT scan, x-ray, ultrasound, or MRI. Coronary angiography is a type of x-ray.

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY - The subspecialty of cardiology that treats cardiac diseases through the use of minimally invasive catheter-based procedures.

INTERVENTIONAL VASCULAR MEDICINE - See Interventional Cardiology. Includes treatment of vascular diseases outside the heart.

INTRAVASCULAR ULTRASOUND - Involves the insertion of a small ultrasound probe on a catheter into the blood vessel; used to obtain cross-sectional images of the coronary and other arteries in order to measure the degree of blockage.

MRI (MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING) - A test that produces high-quality still and moving pictures of the heart and major blood vessels, using large magnets and radio-frequency waves. No x-ray exposure is involved.

PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION (PCI) - Any of the procedures used during an interventional cardiology procedure (angioplasty, atherectomy, or stent placement, for example)

PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE - A condition in which the arteries that carry blood to the arms or legs become narrowed or clogged. Also called peripheral arterial disease. This is similar to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, or coronary heart disease except that it involves arteries outside of the heart.

PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPIES - Medications used for the treatment of diseases and conditions. Standard drug therapy for cardiovascular disease may include pain killers, vasodilators (such as nitroglycerine), beta-adrenergic blocker drugs to calm the heart, aspirin (or other antiplatelet agents) to reduce platelet activity, or blood thinners.

PLAQUE - A fatty deposit on the inside wall of an artery whose buildup can cause a blockage and restrict blood flow.

RADIATION THERAPY - The use of high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays, conventionally used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors, also used experimentally to prevent restenosis. Also called radiotherapy or brachytherapy.

RESTENOSIS - The "renarrowing" of a blood vessel or heart valve that had been opened a using a catheter-based cardiovascular procedure.

REVASCULARIZATION - The process or practice of restoring blood flow to a body part.

STENT - A wire mesh tube that is placed via a catheter at the site of a blockage within an artery.

STROKE - Damage and/or death of a portion of the brain due to loss of blood supply. Symptoms vary depending on the area of the brain affected.

THERMOGRAPHY CATHETER - A type of catheter used to measure and display temperature.

TRANSMYOCARDIAL (or Direct) REVASCULARIZATION - "TMR" or "DMR" uses a laser to create channels from inner portions of the heart to allow oxygen-rich blood to directly reach sections of the heart which are oxygen deficient.

VASCULAR DISEASE - Any dysfunction or disease concerning the network of blood vessels that circulate blood to and from the heart and lungs. The blood vessels that comprise the vascular system are part of the circulatory (or cardiovascular) system, of which the heart is the major organ.

VASCULAR THERAPY - Includes drugs, diet and exercise, surgery, or interventional cardiology procedures – all may be suggested for the treatment of various vascular diseases or conditions.

VULNERABLE PLAQUES - Those that are predisposed to cause heart attacks. (Most heart attacks are the end result of an atherosclerotic condition that clogs coronary arteries with fatty, calcified plaques. Researchers have confirmed that the cause of nearly all heart attacks is not the obstructive plaque itself, but the sudden formation of a blood clot on top of a plaque that cuts off blood flow in an already narrowed vessel.)