Glossary

Glossary of Terms

Below are terms and definitions that are commonly used in the discussion of aneurysms and medical treatment of them.

Aneurysm:	An abnormal outward bulge in a blood vessel wall.
Artery:	A vessel that carries blood from the heart to tissues of the body.
Catheter:	A thin, flexible tube that allows contrast solution to be injected into it to visualize vessels on an x-ray image.
Cerebellum:	A large dorsally projecting part of the brain concerned especially with the coordination of muscles and the maintenance of bodily equilibrium.
Cerebral Edema:	Swelling of the brain.
Cerebral Angiography:	A radiology procedure using x-ray and opaque dye that helps identify abnormalities of the blood vessels within the brain.
Cerebrum:	The cerebrum comprises the largest section of the brain. It is divided into two hemispheres (right and left). Each hemisphere is further divided into four lobes: frontal, occipital, parietal and temporal.
Contrast:	A solution of iodine salts and water that is injected into blood vessels so that they may be visualized on X-ray.
Cranium:	Also known as the skull; the bone that encloses the brain.
Embolics:	Materials and agents that can be permanent or temporary, solid or liquid, suspendable particles versus discrete large single objects. Used to abstract or occlude a structure or vessel.
Embolism:	Obstruction of a blood vessel by foreign substances or a blood clot.
Embolus:	Traveling foreign substance or a blood clot.
Embolization:	Blockage of a blood vessel so blood can no longer flow through it.
Endovascular:	Occurring inside blood vessels.
Endovascular Coiling procedure:	Treatment of an aneurysm using tiny coils and working within the blood vessel.
Hemorrhage:	Bleeding, often times as a result of a problem with a blood vessel.
Hypophysis:	Another term for the pituitary gland.
Hypoxia:	Insufficient supply of oxygen rich blood.
Infarct:	An area of necrosis resulting from a sudden insufficiency of arterial or venous blood supply.
Interventional Neuroradiology:	Use of guiding devices in the vascular pathways of the brain and spinal cord to provide or deliver therapeutic treatment to the brain.
Necrosis:	Pathologic death of one or more cells of a portion of tissue or organ.
Occlusion:	Blockage of a vessel.
Sheath:	A short, hollow tube placed in the femoral artery located at your groin and sewn in place, allowing easy entry into the artery for catheters and guide wires.
Stenosis:	A narrowing of the blood vessel.
Stroke:	Disease process that results in the death of cells in any area of the brain.
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage:	Bleeding in the space between the tissues covering the brain and the arachnoid.
Thrombus:	A blood clot that adheres to the vessel wall.
Vasospasm:	Narrowing of the vessel, typically in response to the initial rupture of the aneurysm.