Cordis Corporation
Glossary of Medical Terms

Abdominal Aorta - The part of the descending aorta that supplies structures below the diaphragm.

Acute - Having a sudden onset or sharp rise.

Aneurysm - Circumscribed dilation of an artery connecting directly with the lumen of an artery or a cardiac chamber connecting directly with the lumen of an artery, usually due to an acquired or congenital weakness of the wall of the artery or chamber.

Angina - aka Angina Pectoris - Chest discomfort, pain, tightness or pressure. May also have associated pain in neck, jaw, back or arm. May include profuse sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath. Angina may be a single symptom or a combination of these symptoms. Occurs when the demand for blood by the heart exceeds the supply provided by the coronary arteries.

Angioplasty - aka percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) - A method of treating blood vessel disorders that involves the use of a balloon catheter to enlarge the blood vessel and thereby improve blood flow.

Antiplatelet - A medicine that reduces the clumping of platelets in the blood. An antiplatelet medicine helps thin the blood to prevent clot formation.

Antithrombin - Substance in blood plasma that neutralizes thrombin, thereby inhibiting coagulation.

Aorta - Major systemic artery, arises from the left ventricle of the heart.

Balloon Angioplasty - See Angioplasty

Balloon Catheter - A tube used for gaining access to the arteries, with a tiny balloon on its tip. The balloon is gently inflated after the catheter is in position.

Biocompatible Polymer - The polymer on the CYPHER^® Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent is compatible (not toxic, injurious to living tissue; not causing rejection) with the coronary arteries and acts as a barrier to protect and maintain the integrity of the stent's drug during positioning and placement and ensures sustained, controlled release of therapeutic levels of sirolimus to a localized area - compatibility with living tissue or a living system by not being toxic or injurious.

CABG - See Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Bifurcation - Division into two vessels. E.g.: bifurcation of the abdominal aorta in the right and left common iliac arteries.

Biliary Tract - The entire hepatic duct system, including hepatic ducts, gallbladder, cystic duct, and common bile duct.

CAS - Carotid Artery Stenting

Carotid Artery - The main arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain.

Cardiac - Relating to the heart.

Cardiac Catheterization (Coronary Angiogram) - A test used to diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD) using the catheterization procedure. Contrast dye is injected into the coronary arteries via a catheter, and this allows the doctor to see, on an x-ray screen, the exact site where the artery is narrowed or blocked.

Catheter - A tube used for gaining access to one of the body's cavities or blood vessels. In angioplasty, a catheter provides access to the heart's arteries.

Coronary Angiogram - See Cardiac Catheterization

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG) - An operation in which a section of vein or artery is used to bypass a blockage in a coronary artery; performed to prevent myocardial infarction (heart attack) and to relieve angina.

De Novo Lesion - Term used to describe a lesion not previously treated.

Dilation - Increase in size/enlargement. Stretching.

Endothelialization - The process, following stent placement in a coronary artery, whereby the thin layer of tissue lining the vessel wall (endothelium) re-grows over the bare metal of the stent and protects circulating blood cells.

Expandable Stents - This refers to stents that have expandable components, which thereby allow their length to increase and decrease.

Femoral Artery - Origin, continuation of external iliac, beginning at inguinal ligament; branches, external pudendal, superficial epigastric, superficial circumflex iliac, profunda femoris, descending genicular, terminating as the popliteal artery as it passes through the adductor hiatus to enter the popliteal space.

Hemostasis - Stoppage of bleeding.

Iliac Artery - One of he two terminal branches of the abdominal aorta; opposite the lumbosacral joint, it bifurcates to form the internal iliac and the external iliac.

Interventional - A medical field dedicated to research and technology for intervening procedures.

Interventional Cardiologist - A doctor specializing in the intervening procedures to save the heart from permanent damage from disease.

Interventional Cardiology - A field of heart medicine dedicated to research and technology for intervening heart procedures.

Late Loss - A cardiology term referring to the angiographic measurement of neointimal hyperplasia. It's one of the most important indicator of long-term efficacy in coronary intervention.

Lesion - A blockage in a blood vessel; aka as plaque or stenosis.

Neointimal Hyperplasia - Wound-healing response to arterial injury that leads to restenosis.

Reintervention - The act of re-intervening by performing additional procedures to prevent serious injury or correct complications from a prior procedure. The purpose of reintervention in cardiac cases is to open an artery that has restenosed (become re-blocked) following an initial procedure. This is also called revascularization.

Restenosis - A re-narrowing or blockage of an artery at the same site where angioplasty was previously done.

Revascularization - A procedure that must be conducted to open an artery that has restenosed (become blocked). If it needs to be done again it is called a reintervention.

Stent - An expandable, slotted metal tube, inserted into a vessel. A stent acts as a scaffold to provide structural support for a vessel. A drug-coated stent allows for placement of that particular drug at the stent implantation site. A drug-eluting Coronary Stent allows for the active release of that particular drug at the stent implantation site.

Target Lesion Revascularization (TLR) - Describes a rate measuring how many stented lesions had to be re-treated, due to clinically-driven restenosis, given a specific time period.