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LifeBridge Health Vascular Institute
Glossary of Vascular Terms
Aneurysm
– An abnormal, balloon-like bulging of the wall of an artery.
Angiography
– Radiography of blood vessels using the injection of material opaque to x-rays, to better define the vessels.
Anticoagulant
– Any medicine that keeps blood from clotting; a blood thinner.
Antihypertensive
– Any medicine or other therapy that lowers blood pressure.
Arteriovenous
– Relating to both arteries and veins.
Artery
– A blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the body.
Atherosclerosis
– A disease process that leads to the buildup of fat and cholesterol, called plaque, inside blood vessels.
Brain attack
– Another name for stroke.
Bruit
– A sound made in the blood vessels resulting from turbulence, perhaps due to a buildup of plaque or damage to the vessels.
Carotid artery
– A major artery on the right and left side of the neck supplying blood to the brain.
Cerebral embolism
– A blood clot from one part of the body that is carried by the bloodstream to the brain, where it blocks an artery.
Cerebral hemorrhage
– Stroke caused by bleeding within the brain resulting from a ruptured blood vessel, aneurysm, or head injury.
Cerebral thrombosis
– Formation of a blood clot in an artery that supplies blood to part of the brain.
Cerebrovascular
– Pertaining to the brain and the blood vessels that supply it.
Cerebrovascular occlusion
– The blocking or closing up of a blood vessel in the brain.
Endarterectomy
– Removal of fatty or cholesterol plaques and calcified deposits from the internal wall of an artery.
Endovascular
– Blockage in the lymphatic vessels can lead to significant leg or arm swelling. These blockages can be inherited or occur due to previous surgery, injury or infection.
Hydrocephalus
– a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the ventricles (fluid-containing cavities) of the brain and may increase pressure within the head.
Ischemia
– Inadequate circulation of blood generally due to a blockage of an artery.
Ischemic stroke
– A stroke caused by interruption or blockage of blood flow to the brain.
Jugular veins
– The veins that carry blood back from the head to the heart.
Plaque
– A deposit of fatty (and other) substances in the inner lining of the artery wall, which usually leads to atherosclerosis.
Stent
– A device made of expandable, metal mesh that is placed (by using a balloon catheter) at the site of a narrowing artery. The stent is then expanded and left in place to keep the artery open.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
– Blood in, or bleeding into, the space under the arachnoid membrane, most commonly from trauma or from rupture of an aneurysm.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
– A temporary interruption of the blood supply to an area of the brain; also called a mini-stroke. It usually lasts only a few minutes and causes no permanent damage or disability.
Vasospasm
– Spasm of blood vessels which decreases their diameter.
For more information about vascular disease and treatment options, call LifeBridge Health at 410-601-WELL (9355).
