X-ray image of an artery or a vein filled with contrast media; a diagnostic procedure is generally referred to as an angiogram.

The use of an inflatable balloon catheter to internally dilate a narrowed blood vessel.

A drug which prevents the clotting of blood.

The valve between the left ventricle and the aorta.

Blood vessels which carry blood away from the heart.

Valve between each atrium and ventricle (tricuspid and mitral valves).

The upper receiving chambers of the heart.

Mechanical valve with a silicone rubber ball which moves within an alloy cage.

A division of a vessel into two branches.

Mechanical valve with two semicircular discs which are mounted on hinges within a housing and open and close simultaneously.

Calcium present in the blood may collect and deposit calcified masses in body tissues, such as the leaflets of the heart valves, which reduce the flexibility of the leaflets.

A machine used during certain surgical heart procedures that takes over the function of your heart and lungs on a temporary basis.

A tube, either flexible or non flexible that is used to add or remove, or transfer fluids or instruments used in minimally invasive procedures.

To insert a slender tube into a body passage, vessel or cavity.

Regions where the individual valve leaflets come together.

Existing from time of birth.

Valve leaflet.

Resting or relaxation phase of the heart cycle during which time the chambers of the heart are filling with blood. Period of the cardiac cycle when the heart relaxes to allow blood flow in.

Ultrasonic waves directed through the chest wall to graphically record the position and motion of the heart walls and internal heart structure.

Recording of the electrical activity of the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp.

A tracing showing the changes in electric potential produced by the contractions of the heart.

Inflammation of the lining of the heart and valve leaflets.

Vascular procedures performed using (minimally invasive) catheter-directed techniques from within the blood vessel.

Rapid irregular contractions of the heart.

Strong, thread-like structure.

The valve that separates the left atrium from the left ventricle.

A diagnostic test that uses a magnetic field to transmit signals from the hydrogen ions in your body. These are processed through a computer and produce a tissue image without the use of a contrast medium.

Procedures that can be performed through small incisions that usually require less anesthesia that may result in less complications and faster patient recovery.

Death of myocardial tissue, usually resulting from a disruption in oxygen supply to the tissue. Infarction of the cardiac muscle. Heart attack.

The fibrous muscle of the heart.

Combined with oxygen.

Tissue valve made from bovine (cow) pericardial tissue.

Tissue valve made from pig’s aortic heart valve.

The valve between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery.

Backward flow.

The aortic and pulmonary valves named for their three cusps shaped like half moons.

A bypass or diversion of accumulations of fluid by means of fistulation or a mechanical device.

When the heart contracts in a normal, coordinated manner.

A narrowing of a valve opening or a lumen (opening) of a vessel or graft.

The two largest veins returning deoxygenated blood to the right side of the heart.

Period of contraction in the cardiac cycle when the heart squeezes or pumps the blood out of the chambers.

Mechanical valve with a single circular disc held in place within a housing but allowed to tilt open and closed at an angle, and also to rotate within that housing.

A transcatheter heart valve can be threaded through the patient’s circulatory system from the groin, or inserted between the ribs directly into the base of the heart’s pumping chamber. The valve is then expanded directly into the patients diseased valve while the heart is still beating.

A tissue heart valve the approximate size of a quarter that is mounted onto a balloon catheter device, and becomes the approximate size of a pencil for insertion into the diseased patient valve.

Echocardiography provides your doctor with moving pictures of your heart and heart valves so he or she can assess their function. In a TTE, a probe is placed on your chest to provide this image.

Echocardiography provides your doctor with moving pictures of your heart and heart valves so he or she can assess their function. In a TEE, a probe is placed down your throat into your esophagus to provide your doctor with a more detailed picture of your heart and heart valves.

The valve that separates the right atrium from the right ventricle.

Very high-frequency sound waves which are “bounced off” structures and moving blood to obtain images and flow signals.

Blood vessels which return blood to the heart.

The large lower pumping chamber of the heart.