Adventitia
The outermost layer of an artery composed of elastic connective tissue
Claudication
Severe pains in the muscle of the lower leg caused by poor circulation of blood to the muscle; usually caused by atherosclerosis
Capillaries
The smallest blood vessels; composed of a single layer of endothelial cells where oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange occurs
Bifurcation
Division into two branches; “Y” shaped
Contralateral
The opposite side
Embolus
A piece of tissue, thrombus, air, or gas that circulates in the circulatory system until it becomes lodged in a vessel
Fogarty embolectomy catheter
A type of catheter that is small in diameter and is balloon-tipped; used to facilitate the removal of an embolus.
Intima
Inner layer of the arterial vessel wall
in situ
At the site of origin, or in its normal place
morbidity
Pertaining to disease.
Mortality
Pertaining to death
Pledget
Small square of Teflon sutured over a hole in a vessel; it exerts external pressure over any small needle holes to prevent bleeding and to promote clotting; often used in peripheral vascular surgery
Occlusion
An obstruction
Patency
The condition of being wide open
Plethysmography
An instrument for measuring the amount of blood present in an extremity or passing through it; useful in patients with diffuse, small-vessel arterial disease
Thrombus
Stationary blood clot within a blood vessel
Valve
A membranous fold in a passage that prevents backflow of material passing through it
Valves
A membranous fold in a passage that prevents backflow of material passing through it
Pledgets
Small square of Teflon sutured over a hole in a vessel; it exerts external pressure over any small needle holes to prevent bleeding and to promote clotting; often used in peripheral vascular surgery