Angina pectoris
Angina pectoris commonly known as angina, is chest pain due to a lack of blood and hence oxygen supply to the heart muscle, generally due to obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries. Coronary artery disease, the main cause of angina, is due to atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. The term derives from the Greek ankhon (”strangling”) and the Latin pectus (”chest”), and can therefore be translated as “a strangling feeling in the chest”.

Asymptomatic
In medicine, a disease is asymptomatic while the patient does not experience any noticeable symptoms. Asymptomatic diseases may not be discovered until the patient undergoes medical tests. Some diseases remain asymptomatic for a remarkably long time.

Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a disease affecting arterial blood vessels. It is a chronic inflammatory response in the walls of arteries. It is commonly referred to as a “hardening” or “furring” of the arteries. It is caused by the formation of multiple plaques within the arteries. These plaque deposits lead to a restricted blood flow to the heart. Therefore, less oxygen and other nutrients reach the heart muscle. This may lead to angina pectoris or to a heart attack.

Atheroma
In pathology, an atheroma is an accumulation and swelling in artery walls that is made up of cells or cell debris, that contain lipids (cholesterol and fatty acids), calcium and a variable amount of fibrous connective tissue. In the context of heart or artery matters, atheromata are commonly referred to as atheromatous plaques (please see plaque).

Catheter (balloon or PTCA catheter)
In medicine a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage or injection of fluids or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization. A balloon catheter is a type of “soft” catheter with an inflatable “balloon” at its tip which is used during a catheterization procedure to enlarge a narrow opening or passage within the body. The deflated balloon catheter is positioned, then inflated to perform the necessary procedure, and deflated again in order to be removed.

Circulatory System
The circulatory system is extremely important for sustaining life. Its proper functioning is responsible for the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all cells, as well as the removal of carbon dioxide and waste products, maintenance of optimum pH, and the mobility of the elements, proteins and cells of the immune system. In developed countries, the two leading causes of death, myocardial infarction and stroke each may directly result from an arterial system that has been slowly and progressively compromised by years of deterioration (see atherosclerosis).

Computed tomography (CT)
Computed tomography is a medical imaging method employing tomography. Digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation. The word “tomography” is derived from the Greek tomos (slice) and graphein (to write).

Coronary artery disease (CAD)
CAD is also called coronary heart disease (CHD) or atherosclerosis, is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the arteries that supply oxygen and nutrients to the myocardium (the muscle of the heart). The restricted blood flow may lead to angina pectoris or a heart attack.

Coronary angiography
Angiography or arteriography is a medical imaging technique in which an X-ray picture is taken to visualize the inner opening (lumen) of blood filled structures, including arteries, veins and the heart chambers. Its name comes from the Greek words angeion, “vessel”, and graphien, “to write or record”.

Coronary angioplasty (PCI or PTCA)
Coronary angioplasty (also known as percutaneous coronary intervention, PCI or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, PTCA) is a therapeutic procedure to treat the stenotic (narrowed) coronary arteries of the heart found in coronary artery disease. Angioplasty is the mechanical widening of a narrowed or totally obstructed blood vessel. These obstructions are often caused by atherosclerosis. The word is composed of the medical combining forms of the Greek words aggeios meaning “vessel” and plastos meaning “formed” or “moulded”. Angioplasty is typically performed in a minimally invasive or percutaneous method.

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG)
CABG also called heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease. Arteries or veins from elsewhere in the patient’s body are grafted to the coronary arteries to bypass atherosclerotic narrowing and improve the blood supply to the coronary circulation supplying the myocardium (heart muscle).

Contrast agent
Radiocontrast agents (also simply contrast agents or contrast materials) are compounds used to improve the visibility of internal bodily structures in an X-ray image.