Angiogenesis
Angiogensis is the process of vascularization of a tissue involving the development of new capillary blood vessels.
Angina Pectoris (Angina)
Angina pectoris is a medical term used to describe chest pain resulting from coronary artery disease. A symptom of advanced coronary artery disease (CAD), angina is often centered in the chest but can also emanate down the shoulder and arm or through the neck and jaw. Angina has also been attributed to back pain symptoms.
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is the progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries over time.
Balloon Angioplasty
Coronary balloon angioplasty is accomplished using a balloon-tipped catheter inserted through an artery in the groin or arm and then inflated to enlarge a narrowing in a coronary artery.
Cardiologist
A cardiologist is a medically qualified specialist in internal medicine who is sub-specialized in the diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
A cardiothoracic surgeon performs many types of surgical heart procedures, including TMR.
Chronic Stable Angina
Chronic stable angina is caused by a chronic narrowing of coronary arteries due to atherosclerosis. This narrowing causes inadequate blood flow resulting in the tissue becoming ischemic and hypoxic – particularly during times of increased oxygen demand or exertion.
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Artery Disease is the process by which the coronary arteries become narrowed or completely occluded as with atherosclerosis. This is the underlying cause of a heart attack.
Coronary Artery Spasm
A corornay artery spasm is a sudden vasoconstriction of a coronary artery depriving the myocardium of blood flow and oxygen.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) Procedure
A CABG procedure grafts veins or other conduits within the heart which allow for the shunting of blood from the aorta to branches of the coronary arteries resulting in increased blood flow beyond the local obstruction.
Diffuse Disease
Diffuse disease indicates blockage throughout several sites in a coronary artery.
Distal Disease
Distal disease indicates blockage in the narrow sections of a coronary artery.
Diffuse Distal Disease
Diffuse distal disease indicates when the entire portion of the artery delivering blood to the muscle becomes blocked.
Holmium:YAG Laser
A Holmium:YAG Laser is a type of medical laser approved for use for performing TMR.
Hypertension
Hypertension is persistently high blood pressure. Hypertension may have no known cause or may be associated with other primary diseases.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertorphic cardiomyopathy is a congenital heart disease that results in abnormal thickening of the ventricular septum and left ventricular wall.
Ischemic Heart Disease
Ischemic Heart Disease is a disease characterized by inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle, usually due to a clogging of the coronary arteries due to fatty deposits or plaque build-up resulting in reduced flow of blood to the heart muscle.
Myocardial Ischemia
Myocardial ischemia is a disorder of cardiac function caused by insufficient blood flow to the muscle tissue of the heart.
Myocardium
The myocardium is a term used to describe the middle layer of the heart wall (heart muscle).
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
A catheter based procedure that is used to open blocked arteries.
Small Vessel Disease
Small vessel disease is a condition where the native coronary distribution has small diameter vessels, often associated with patients inflicted with diabetes.
Thoracotomy
A thoracotomy is a surgical procedure where an incision is placed between two ribs to access the heart.
TMR
Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR) is a surgical procedure in which a laser system is used to directly treat areas of the heart that are not receiving enough oxygen due to lack of blood flow through the coronary arteries.
Valvular Heart Disease
Valvular heart disease is a general term that applies to any abnormality of one of the heart valves, tricuspid, mitral, aortic or pulmonic valves.