Glossary of Terms
Below is a glossary of frequently used terms that relate to Boston Scientific's products and related procedures.
50 percent or greater vessel re-occlusion.
Radiation treatment given by placing radioactive material directly in or near the target, which is often a tumor.
Procedures used to study the various functions of the heart. Using different techniques, the coronary arteries can be viewed by injecting dye or opened using balloon angioplasty.
Disease affecting the heart or blood vessels. Cardiovascular diseases include arteriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, hypertension, orthostatic hypotension, endocarditis, diseases of the aorta and its branches, disorders of the peripheral vascular system, and congenital heart disease.
A thin plastic tube used to access various parts of the body, such as the coronary arteries. A treatment device – such as a stent – is often attached to the catheter.
Related to arteries that supply blood and nutrients to the heart.
A test to determine if coronary artery disease is present. Contrast dye is injected into the coronary arteries and a fluoroscope allows clinicians to see the vessels on an X-ray screen.
The arteries that surround the heart and supply blood containing oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle.
The medical term for open heart or bypass surgery. This surgery is carried out to relieve angina (chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood supply to the heart) by creating a bypass around blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. The bypass itself is a short length of artery or vein taken from the leg or chest and grafted onto the heart above and below the blocked artery.
Disease affecting the coronary arteries that surround the heart and supply blood to the heart muscle. It occurs when the lumen of the coronary arteries becomes narrowed with plaque deposits (a build-up of cholesterol and other fats, calcium and other elements carried in the blood).