Glossary – simple definitions of terms related to Minimally Invasive, Image-guided Procedures (MIIPs)
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Ablation — a MIIP used to kill tumors inside the body without having to cut them out with surgery
Abscess — a pocket of pus or infected fluid
Adenocarcinoma — a type of cancer
Aneurysm — abnormal ballooning of the wall of an artery
Angiogram — medical images of a blood vessel; it is made by injecting special dye into the blood vessel through a tiny tube while taking pictures with moving x-rays
Angioplasty — to open a narrowed or blocked blood vessel by stretching the walls of the vessel with a tiny balloon
Aorta — the largest artery in the body, located in the center of the chest and abdomen
Arteriovenous fistula — a direct connection between an artery and a vein that forms by accident after injury to the area or made on purpose by a surgeon for use in hemodialysis (procedure to clean the blood of patients with kidney problems)
Artery — a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body
Ascites — abnormal fluid in the belly
Aspiration — to suck out fluid
Atherosclerosis — hardening and sometimes narrowing of the arteries (also called arteriosclerosis)
Balloon — special tool that is inflated to stretch open abnormally narrowed areas inside the body, especially blood vessels
Bile — yellow-green juice made by the liver that flows into the gut to help digest food
Bile duct — tubes in the liver that carry yellow-green juice from the liver to the gut to help digest food
Biliary — relating to bile ducts, which are the tubes in the liver that collect and carry bile to the gut
Biopsy — to take a tiny piece of tissue from the body in order to make a diagnosis
Blood thinner — medication that keeps blood from clotting
Blood transfusion — to give blood or parts of blood to a patient when blood levels are low
BRTO — a treatment for vomiting blood due to dilated veins in the upper belly
Carcinoma — type of cancer
Cardiac — related to the heart
Cardiac catheterization — a MIIP for evaluating and treating the heart using a tiny tube placed inside the heart through a pinhole in the groin or arm
CAT scan — type of medical picture that uses special x-rays to make a 3-dimensional pictures through the body so specialized doctors called Radiologists can help diagnose problems (also called a CT scan)
Catheter — a plastic tube placed inside the body so fluid or blood can be drawn off or put into the body
Catheterization — when a special tube is put inside the body so fluid or blood can be drawn off or put into the body
Catheter-directed thrombolysis — to dissolve a clot in a blood vessel by using a tiny tube to spray clot-busting medication directly into the clot
Central venous catheter — tube placed into a vein, with the tip near the heart in order to give fluid or medicines and draw off blood
Cerebral — related to the brain
Cerebrovascular accident — a stroke or "brain attack"
Chemotherapy
Cholecystitis — infection of the gallbladder
Cholecystostomy — tube placed to drain an infected gallbladder
Cirrhosis — scarring of the liver as a result of long-term infection or inflammation
Closure device — a special tool used to close a hole in an artery after a MIIP
Clot — the semisolid jelly form of blood that normally happens to stop bleeding but can also happen under abnormal circumstances and cause problems
Coil — a small piece of special wire used to plug up a blood vessel that is bleeding or is abnormal
Coiling — to place a coil inside a blood vessel to stop bleeding or shut down an abnormal blood vessel
Common bile duct — tube that carries the yellow-green digestive juices made in the liver to the gut to help with digestion
Common femoral artery — artery in the groin, often used as an access point to get into the arteries throughout the body
Common femoral vein — vein in the groin, often used as an access point to get into the veins throughout the body
Contrast — dye that is visible on moving x-rays
Core biopsy — to take a tiny piece of tissue in order to make a diagnosis
Cryoablation
CT scan — type of medical picture that uses special x-rays to make a 3 dimensional pictures through body so specialized doctors called Radiologists can help diagnose problems (also called a CAT scan)
Cyst — a fluid-filled mass
Deep venous thrombosis — blood clot in the main veins of the pelvis, legs or arms
DIPS
Dissection — injury to the inside layer of the artery, causing it to peel away and allow blood to get in between
Drainage — to remove fluid
DVT — blood clot in the main veins of the arms, pelvis or legs
Edema — swelling
Embolism — blood clot or other abnormal material inside a blood vessel that breaks off and blocks a blood vessel downstream
Embolization — a MIIP used to block off a bleeding or abnormal blood vessel using small particles, coils, or special medical glue
Empyema — an abnormal pocket of infection in the lung
Endarterectomy — surgical procedure to treat hardening and narrowing of an artery
Endograft — a special tube made of woven metal wires and fabric used to treat abnormal ballooning of the aorta, the largest artery in the body, so it will not burst and cause life-threatening bleeding
Epistaxis — nose bleed
Ethanol ablation
EVAR — a MIIP used to treat abnormal ballooning of the aorta, the main artery in the belly, by placing a special tube made of woven metal wires and fabric
Fibroid — abnormal growth in the wall of a woman’s uterus, or womb, that is not cancer but can cause symptoms including pressure, pain, and fullness
Filter (also known as IVC filter)
Fine needle aspiration — to use a needle to take a tiny pieces of tissue in order to make a diagnosis
Fistula — an abnormal connection between two things - there are 3 different kinds of fistulas:
Fluoroscopy — moving x-rays
Focal biopsy — to take a tiny piece of suspicious tissue in order to make a diagnosis
Gallbladder — small bag in the right upper abdomen that stores the yellow-green juice that the liver makes to help digest food
Gallstones
Gastric — relating to the stomach
Gastrostomy (also known as a gastrostomy tube)
Glue
Hematocrit — blood level; when blood levels are low, a patient can feel tired and look pale
Hematoma — collection of blood that happens after bleeding inside the body or under the skin
Hemodialysis — procedure to clean the blood of patients with kidney problems
Hemoglobin — blood level; when blood levels are low, a patient can feel tired and look pale
Hemoptysis — coughing up blood
Hemorrhage — to bleed a lot
Hemostasis – stopped bleeding
Hepatic — relating to the liver
Hepatocellular carcinoma — cancer of the liver
Hydrocele — abnormal fluid in the scrotum, around the testicle
Hydronephrosis — abnormally dilated kidney, usually due to a blockage so the kidney cannot drain normally
Hydronephroureter — abnormally dilated kidney and tube draining the kidney, usually due to blockage of the tube draining the kidney
Image-guided — using medical pictures to see inside the body from the outside while performing a MIIP
Infarction
Inferior vena cava — (also known as IVC) the biggest vein in the body, located in the belly
Inferior vena cava filter (also known as IVC filter or simply filter)
Internal jugular vein — vein in the neck
Interventional cardiology — specialized doctor who performs MIIPs in the heart
Interventional radiology — specialized doctor who performs MIIPs throughout the body
Intracranial hemorrhage — bleeding inside the brain
Intrathecal chemotherapy
Kidney stones — abnormal hard “stones” that form in the kidney and can cause pain or blockage
Kyphoplasty — a MIIP where special cement is injected into a broken bone in the spine in order to stabilize it, restore height, and treat pain
Liver — important organ located in the right upper abdomen. It has many jobs, including making bile to help in digestion, using nutrients from food to make energy, and cleaning toxins from the blood.
Lumbar puncture — a MIIP used to draw fluid from around the spinal cord, usually for testing purposes
Lymph node — a normal part of the immune system that can swell in response to infection
May Thurner Syndrome — when the left leg vein is narrowed by the right leg artery crossing over it, causing swelling in the left leg
Medical imaging — special pictures that allow doctors to see inside the body from the outside
Melena — dark blood in the stool
Metastasis — tumor that has spread to a new site from where it started
Metastatic cancer — a cancer that has spread outside of where it started
Microcatheter — a tiny plastic tube used during MIIPs to reach tiny blood vessels
Microwave ablation
Minimally invasive — a procedure or surgery performed through a pinhole or a keyhole instead of through open surgery, which requires larger incisions
Minimally invasive, image-guided procedure (MIIP) — a procedure performed through a pinhole using medical pictures to see inside the body from the outside; MIIPs allow patients to get back to their lives sooner due to their short recovery times and few side effects
MRI — type of medical picture that uses magnet energy to make a 3 dimensional pictures through the body so specialized doctors called Radiologists can help diagnose problems
Nephrostomy
Nonfocal biopsy
Nutcracker Syndrome — when the left kidney vein is compressed by nearby arteries, causing blood to back up and find alternative veins to leave the kidney
Obstruction — blockage
Off-target embolization
Paget Schroeder Syndrome — Condition of arm swelling caused by narrowing of a vein in the chest
Paracentesis
Pelvic congestion syndrome
Percutaneous ethanol ablation (also known as ethanol ablation)
Peritoneum — lining inside the belly
Peritonitis — infection inside the belly
PICC — a special IV that usually enters the arm and ends in a vein near the heart so the heart can pump medicines to the whole body
Platelets — part of blood that helps stop bleeding and promote healing
Pleura — lining around the lung
Pleural effusion — abnormal fluid around the lung
Pneumothorax — when the lung deflates or collapses
Port-a-catheter
Portal hypertension — high blood pressure in the liver
Portal vein — vein that takes blood rich in nutrients from the organs of digestion to the liver
Post embolization syndrome
Pseudoaneurysm — a contained area of bleeding around a damaged or burst blood vessel
Pulmonary artery — blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs, where the blood can pick up oxygen for the body
Pulmonary embolism — a blood clot in the arteries of the lungs, which can cause life-threatening shortness of breath
Radioembolization
Radiofrequency ablation
Radiologist — doctor who specializes in understanding and interpreting medical images in order to help diagnose problems
Recanalization — reopening of a blocked tube naturally or through a MIIP
Red blood cells — main part of the blood responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the tissues
Renal — related to the kidneys
Renal cell carcinoma — type of kidney tumor
Sacrum — bone of pelvis, along the back
Sacroplasty — a MIIP where special cement is injected into a broken bone in the pelvis in order to stabilize it and treat pain
Sepsis — severe infection of the blood affecting the entire body
Seroma — an abnormal fluid collection that forms after surgery or injury
Sheath — a small plastic tube placed into a blood vessel during a MIIP to serve as a portal, or doorway for access during the procedure
Splenic — relating to the spleen, an organ in the upper left abdomen
Stenosis — a narrowing in a blood vessel or tube within the body
Stent — a wove metal tube that is used to open a narrowing or blockage inside the body
Stenting — to put a woven metal tube into a narrowing or blockage in the body in order to open it up
Stroke — brain attack
TACE — a way to treat liver tumors by sending tiny beads soaked in chemotherapy directly to the tumors through the arteries that feed them
TARE — (also called radioembolization) a way to treat liver tumors by sending tiny radioactive beads directly to the tumors through the arteries that feed them
Thoracentesis — a MIIP to drain abnormal fluid around the lungs in the chest
Thrombectomy — surgery to remove an abnormal blood clot
Thrombosis — clotting of blood
Thrombolysis — a MIIP to dissolve a blood clot by spraying clot-busting medicine directly into the clot
TIPS
Tunneled catheter
Transfusion — to give blood or parts of blood when blood levels are low
Tumor — an abnormal growth in the body that may or not be cancer
Ultrasound — a type of medical imaging that uses sound waves to see inside the body to help diagnose problems and also help guide MIIPs
Ureter — the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder
Urinoma — an abnormal urine leak inside the body
Uterine artery embolization (UAE)
Uterine fibroid — An abnormal growth in the wall of a woman’s uterus, or womb, that is not cancer but can cause symptoms including pressure, pain, and fullness
Valves — structures in the heart or in veins that allow blood to flow in one direction and not backwards
Varices — abnormally stretched out veins, often with areas of ballooning
Varicose veins — abnormally stretched out veins, often with areas of ballooning; they are most noticeable when they occur on the legs but they can occur throughout the body
Vascular — relating to blood vessels
Vascular surgery — surgery on blood vessels
Vein — a blood vessel that carries blood away from the body and to the heart
Venogram — picture of the inside of a vein made by injecting dye and taking moving x-rays
Vertebra — back bone that supports the spine
Vertebroplasty — a MIIP where special cement is injected into a broken bone in the spine in order to stabilize it and treat pain
White blood cells — part of the blood that fights infection
Wire — special long, skinny metal or plastic wire used in MIIPs to help reach parts of the body
X-ray — 2 dimensional medical picture that allows doctors to see inside the body
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