Glossary

Pertaining to the abdomen.

A quick and severe blocking of a blood vessel by a blood clot dislodged from its site of origin.

The membranous outer covering of an organ or a blood vessel.

A sac-like widening of a blood vessel.

The surgical repair of a blood vessel, either by inserting a balloon-tipped catheter to unblock it, or by reconstructing or replacing part of the vessel.

The main trunk of the systemic arteries, carrying blood from the left side of the heart to the arteries of all limbs and organs except the lungs.

An x-ray of blood vessels, which becomes visible after an injection of contrast solution into the circulation that appears on the x-ray film.

A chronic disease in which thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of arterial walls result in impaired blood circulation.

Any of the muscular elastic tubes that form a branching system and that carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the cells, tissues, and organs of the body.

Having or relating to atherosclerosis.

A sound heard with a stethoscope suggesting a narrowed vessel.

An alternative passage created surgically to divert the flow of blood.

Two major arteries of the neck and head that branches from the aorta.

A hollow flexible tube for insertion into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the passage of fluids or distend a passageway.

A catheter (tube) that is passed through a vein to allow concentrated solutions to be infused with less risk of complications.

Relating to the brain and the blood vessels that supply it.

The bodily system consisting of the heart, blood vessels, and blood that circulates blood throughout the body, delivers nutrients and other essential materials to cells, and removes waste products. Also called cardiovascular system.

A lump of material formed from changing a liquid (i.e. blood) to a thickened or solid state.

To make wider or larger; cause to expand.
 

The separation of smaller molecules from larger molecules in a solution by selective diffusion through a semipermeable membrane. Part of the hemodialysis process.

A machine equipped with a semipermeable membrane that allows passage of certain, especially small, molecules but acting as a barrier to others and used for performing dialysis.

Farthest from the center of attachment, center of the body, point of attachment; the opposite of proximal.

Use of an electric current to seal off veins. 
 

Surgical removal of a mass, such as an air bubble, a detached blood clot, or a foreign body, that travels through the bloodstream and lodges so as to obstruct or occlude a blood vessel.

Occlusion of a blood vessel by a loose clot, air bubble or other particle.

Surgical excision of the inner lining of an artery that is clogged.

Within the inner space of an artery or vein.

A form of minimally invasive surgery that was designed to access many regions of the body via major blood vessels.

An upward continuation of the popliteal vein that carries blood from the leg back to the heart.

A procedure for removing metabolic waste products or toxic substances from the bloodstream by washing the blood over a membrane with a special fluid.
 

Abnormally elevated blood pressure.
 

One of three veins draining the pelvic area.

Located below the renal arteries.
 

An aching, crampy, tired, and sometimes burning pain in the legs that comes and goes due to poor circulation of blood in the arteries of the legs. Typically occurs with walking and goes away with rest.

A passageway in the body, a bridge or connection between an artery and a vein, either abnormal or created surgically.

The innermost membrane of an organ or part, especially the inner lining of a lymphatic vessel, an artery, or a vein.
 

Administering fluids and/or surgical instruments into a vein.

A decrease in the blood supply to a bodily organ, tissue, or part caused by constriction or obstruction of the blood vessels.

A conjugated protein having a lipid component; the principal means for transporting lipids in the blood.

The middle, often muscular layer of the wall of a blood vessel.

An obstruction or a closure of a passageway or vessel.

The use of a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowed artery.

Inflammation of a vein.

A deposit of fatty material on the inner lining of an arterial wall.

A vein arising in the knee and ascending to become the femoral vein.

Serving as or relating to an artificial device used to replace a missing body part.

Nearest the center of attachment, center of the body, point of attachment, or point of reference; the opposite of distal.

A medical specialist who uses radioactive substances and X-rays in the treatment of disease.

A cell in the blood that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the tissues.

There are two, the great and the small saphenous veins – they serve as the principal veins running near the surface up the leg. The great saphenous vein (also called the large saphenous vein) goes from the foot all the way up to the thigh. The small saphenous vein runs behind the outside of the ankle joint, comes up the back of the leg and joins the popliteal vein in the space behind the knee.

Procedure where a fine needle injects a solution directly into the vein. This solution irritates the lining of the vein, causing it to swell and the blood to clot. The vein turns into scar tissue that fades from view.

A passage between two natural body channels, such as blood vessels, especially one created surgically to divert or permit flow from one pathway or region to another; a bypass.

A constriction or narrowing of a duct or passage.

A slender thread, rod, or catheter inserted into a tubular structure, such as a blood vessel.

A tube composed of fabric or other material supported by a metal mesh called a stent. It can be used for a variety of conditions involving the blood vessels, but most commonly is used to reinforce a weak spot in an artery called an aneurysm.

A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel to the brain, characterized by loss of muscular control, diminution or loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain.

Pertaining to the chest.

A kind of drug that can break up clots blocking the flow of blood to the heart muscle.

A clot formed in a blood vessel or in a chamber of the heart.

A neurological event, often caused by the narrowing of the carotid arteries, with the signs and symptoms of a stroke, but which go away within a short period of time. Also called a mini-stroke, a TIA is due to a temporary lack of adequate blood and oxygen (ischemia) to the brain.

The use of ultrasonic waves for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, specifically to image an internal body structure.

Abnormally swollen or knotted.

Relating to the blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) of the body. The blood vessels of the body, as a group, are referred to as the vascular system. 
 

One whose profession or occupation is to cure vascular diseases or injuries of the body by manual operation.

Any of the membranous tubes that form a branching system and carry oxygen-depleted blood to the heart.

Either of the two lower chambers of the heart that, when filled with blood, contract to propel it forward.

Blood cells that engulf and digest bacteria and fungi; an important part of the body's defense system.