Glossary
Angioplasty expansion ol a blood ves-
sel by means of a balloon caiheier in-
serted inlo the chosen vessel
Arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis
commonly occurring deposits of yel-
lowish plaques containing lipoid ma-
terial that thicken and stiffen the
vessel walls: these deposits may nar-
row the lumen, causing chest pain
(angina), or rupture, causing clots
that lead to heart attacks
Angiogram or catheterization pas-
sage of a small catheter into the cardiac
circulation to release a radiographic
dye permitting visualization of the lu-
men and detection of cardiac abnor-
malities
Chelation intravenous infusion of a
chemical compound that sequesters
metallic ions, traditionally used for
heavy metal poisoning but contro-
versially promoted as an intervention
to reverse arteriosclerosis
Detoxification the body's efforts to re-
duce its toxic load by changing irri-
tants to a less harmful form or one
that can be more readily eliminated,
or the body's efforts to force the ex-
pulsion ol such substances through
channels of elimination, such as mu-
cus, urine, or skin
Embolus a clot or plug brought by the
blood from its original site to a place
where it occludes the lumen of a
smaller vessel
Endothelium the layer of cells lining
the interior portion of the heart,
blood vessels, and other cavities
Epidemiologist one whose field of
medicine is the study of factors affect-
ing the frequency and distribution of
diseases
First Law of thermodynamics the sci-
entific concept that energy can be
changed from one form to another
(into work) but cannot be created or
destroyed
Gastroplasty surgery to reduce the size
of the stomach
Gastric bypass permanent division and
separation of the main section (lower
segment) of the stomach to create a
small stomach pouch with the re-
maining (upper) segment, which is
then reattached to the small intes-
tines
Homocysteine an intermediate protein
in the synthesis of cysteine, which el-