More than a million people a year have a heart attack in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Coronary artery disease, characterized by the accumulation of plaque in the vessels supplying the heart, is...
Cancer of the pancreas, also called pancreatic cancer, is the overgrowth of abnormal cells in the pancreas, an organ found in the abdomen. The pancreas is responsible for producing chemicals that help digest food and hormones that control blood...
The liver produces a compound called bile that is needed to help break up ingested fats and oils. The bile helps the intestines efficiently absorb these fats and oils, also known as lipids. Gallstones are masses that can develop in this bile....
Cardiac catheterizations are done by inserting a thin wire through an artery in the groin or arm and threading the wire into a coronary artery. The coronary arteries are the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood. This procedure allows a...
Abnormal blood vessels in the eyes of children can cause serious, irreversible vision loss. Most abnormal vessels aren't visible from outside the eye, and small children can't explain that they can't see, so abnormal blood vessel growth can cause...
A diagnosis of epilepsy involves a combination of observation and diagnostic tests. The doctor will listen to a description of the seizures a person has, and perhaps monitor the patient using video for a few hours or days to try and observe a...
If you've had your colon -- part of your large intestine -- removed for ulcerative colitis or colon cancer, you likely have had a temporary ileostomy. When the colon is excised, surgeons connect the end of the small intestine directly to the anus....
Coronary angioplasty and stent implantation are two of the most common procedures performed in the United States. The procedure is not surgery. It is a catheterization. A small hollow tube is inserted in to the femoral (leg) or radial (wrist)...
Good bone health is important to prevent diseases like osteoporosis as well as dangerous broken hips and other bones. To get a good reading of bone health, a bone scan may be ordered. This diagnostic test can help to spot health conditions like...
Angiography is a clinical procedure in which doctors inject a special type of dye into a blood vessel. The data from an angiography test is called an angiogram. The dye, called contrast dye, is visible by X-ray imaging, and the doctor is able to...
Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic procedure in which a narrow tube called a catheter is inserted into the blood vessels within the heart though a vein or artery in the arm, groin or neck. Once placed, the catheter is injected with a dye that...
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition that is similar to coronary artery disease, except that it occurs in the legs. It happens when the arteries in the legs become blocked by plaque buildup. This can restrict blood flow to the kidneys,...
A healthy eye maintains an eye pressure resulting from the aqueous humor contained in the front section of your eye. Your eye makes the fluid, sending aqueous into this chamber as older fluid drains out. People who have an overproduction of...
Learn about the physical symptoms you might experience if you have cholestasis, in order to identify if you have the condition. Suffering from cholestasis means that bile can't flow out of your liver. There are many underlying causes of...
A cardiac catheterization may be performed if a cardiologist suspects that a patient has heart disease or a heart defect. During the procedure a long, narrow tube, or catheter, is inserted into a patient's vein or artery within his neck, arm or...
Coronary angiography is a specialized type of X-ray test that allows clinicians to view the arteries supplying blood to the heart, or the coronary arteries. Normally these arteries do not appear on X-ray, but by injecting a special dye into the...
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), also known as peripheral artery disease, is a common form of circulatory disorder where the supply of blood to the body is reduced through a narrowing of the arteries. Most times, someone with PAD will feel pain...
A sonogram remains a useful tool that does not require radiation to take an internal picture of the body. An ultrasound machine contains a transducer, a television display panel and regulation buttons for control within a test, Cancer.org...
The arteries are critical because they channel blood from the heart throughout the rest of the body. Most of the arteries carry oxygenated blood, which means that they are needed to supply oxygen to other tissues. Blocked arteries can cause oxygen...
Diagnostic procedures, ranging from non-invasive to invasive testing, are valuable diagnostic tools for the cardiovascular system. These procedures can catch cardiac problems before symptoms develop in most cases. Based on your needs, the...
A coronary fistula, also known as a coronary artery fistula and coronary arteriovenous malformation, is an abnormal connection between a coronary artery and a heart chamber or major blood vessel, according to the National Library of Medicine. One...
A cardiac computed tomography angiography scan, or cardiac CT for short, is a diagnostic procedure a doctor can utilize to examine a patient's heart. This technique allows a doctor to visualize the inside of the heart and can enable her to detect...
The shoulder is like a ball (humeral head) on a plate (glenoid portion of shoulder blade). Because of this, the shoulder is inherently an unstable joint. Additional stability is imparted by the labrum, an O-ring of tougher cartilage surrounding...
The first cardiac catheterization boldly performed by Dr. Werner Forssmann, on himself, in 1929, marked the beginning of non-invasive heart surgery. Today, this procedure is primarily used to diagnose heart conditions and treat plaque buildup in...
Cardiac scans can be performed using computed tomography (CT), a common test that makes use of x-rays to take pictures of the heart. Different types of cardiac CT scans are used to detect varying problems with the heart, including blood clots or...
Fibroids are abnormal growths in the uterine wall. Some women don't experience any negative symptoms associated with fibroids, especially if the fibroids are small. However, most women with fibroids do experience various symptoms. Some of the...
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a type of heart condition in which your heart is incapable of sending enough blood to your body. According to the Mayo Clinic, physical manifestations of CHF include shortness of breath, especially when you lie...
Blood clots can be dangerous, so an accurate diagnosis is vital to preventing future health problems. Since blood clots may have few or mild symptoms, any suspicious symptoms should be brought to the attention of a doctor just in case. Blood...
Allergic skin conditions affect between 10 to 27 percent of children and 1 to 3 percent of adults, and lead to millions of doctor visits each year, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). The most common types...
Angioplasty is the mechanical widening of blood vessels used to help sufferers of obstructed vessels. Learn more about angioplasty, including frequency and dangers, in this video.
