ABI: Ankle Brachial-Index measurement. A method for testing for peripheral arterial disease through the use of a Doppler probe and a blood pressure cuff on both the arms and ankles.
Antiplatelet: Medication, including aspirin and newer agents used to prevent clumping together of platelets, one of the first things to occur in artery clotting. Platelet clumping is a risk factor for stroke.
Aorta: The largest artery in the body, originating at the left ventricle and serving as the primary trunk from which the entire arterial system proceeds.
Arterial insufficiency: An inadequate blood supply in the arterial system most often caused by a narrowing in the vessel that supplies your extremities.
Arteritis: Inflammation of the arteries.
Atherosclerosis: From the Greek words athero (gruel or paste) and sclerosis (hardness). The process within the arteries where deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, calcium or fibrin are built up in the inner lining (called plaques).
Arteriosclerosis: A consequence of aging where the arterial walls gradually thickens and arterial fibers decline. The arteries become stiff. (See Atherosclerosis)
Artery: A pipeline (blood vessel) carrying oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When diseased, the organ supplied may become damaged due to lack of oxygen and nutrients. (See ischemia)
Blood pressure: The force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls.
Calcified vessels: When an artery becomes hardened from calcium deposits in the wall. Often seen in diabetes. Affects the ability to make accurate pressure measurements in the legs.
Critical Leg Ischemia: A severe obstruction of the arteries which seriously decreases blood flow to the extremities (hands, feet and legs) and has progressed to the point of severe pain and even skin ulcers or sores. Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) is often present in individuals with severe peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Doppler: A diagnostic tool that uses low intensity ultrasound to detect blood flow velocity in arteries or veins.
Duplex: A diagnostic tool that combines Doppler and ultrasound.
Endarterectomy: The removal of plaque from the inner wall of a diseased artery by surgery.
Exercise Therapy: Exercise therapy for intermittent claudication is an individualized exercise prescription (or plan) designed to restore health and prevent further disease. The prescription, which is written by a doctor or rehabilitation specialist such as a clinical exercise physiologist, physical therapist, or nurse. It takes into account your current medical condition and provides advice for what type of exercise to perform, how hard to exercise, how long, and how many times per week.
Femoral artery: The large artery in the leg, which extends from hip to knee. Often the bypass grafts start at this point.
Hypertension: When the pressure in the arteries is consistently above the normal range. Also known as high blood pressure.
Intermittent Claudication: Symptoms that occur when the leg muscles do not receive the oxygen rich blood required during exercise, thus causing cramping in the hips, thighs or calves.
Ischemia: An organ (heart, brain, kidneys, or foot, for example) that is not getting adequate blood flow and lacks vital oxygen and nutrients.
Non-Invasive: Medical procedures or exams, which do not involve needles, dye or x-ray to diagnose arterial diseases.
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD): A common disorder that occurs in the artery segments of the circulatory system (legs, pelvis, and neck brain). The artery wall linings slowly become narrowed and rough clots formed due to built up cholesterol or plaque. It has major implications on a patient's life due to association with blockages in the heart and brain with potential for death from heart attack and stroke.
Plaque: The built up material on the inner lining of an artery made up of cholesterol and fatty substances.
Rest Pain: Constant pain (particularly at night) found in the toes or foot that is caused by poor blood flow.
Toe Systolic Pressure Index: A diagnostic measurement taken to determine peripheral arterial disease. Normally used when the Doppler method is ineffective (due to artery calcium buildup), usually in patients with diabetes. This technique uses a special pneumatic cuff placed on the big toe.
Ultrasonic Duplex Scanning: The diagnostic test for PAD that produces images of arteries or veins on a screen via the use of ultrasound equipment. This test is used to locate blocked arteries or measure their size.
Vessels: The tube-like structures in the circulatory system that is responsible for circulating blood within the body. The three kinds of vessels are arteries, veins and lymphatics. Capillaries are the microscopic structures that connect arteries and veins at the tissues.
Veins: Blood vessels that carry the blood from the body back to the heart.
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