Glossary of medical terms

Aneurysm

A balloon like swelling of a blood vessel, which may burst suddenly, usually causing a haemorrhagic stroke.

Angiogram

A test that gives a picture of the blood vessels by injecting a dye into the bloodstream which is visible on an X ray.

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Anticoagulant

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A medicine used to reduce the chance of blood clots forming.

Anti-platelet

Medicines that act on platelets (cells in the blood) to make them less likely to stick together to form clots.

Aphasia

See Dysphasia

Apraxia

See Dyspraxia

Arteries

Vessels that run from the heart to the organs carrying oxygen around the body.

Aspiration

When food or fluid accidently goes down the windpipe instead of the swallowing tube in the throat. This can lead to chest infection.

Atheroma / Atherosclerosis

Atheroma is what happens when the blood vessels become furred up over the years with fatty deposits. This stops the blood flowing so well and can encourage the formations of blood clots that can cause strokes.

Atrial Fibrillation (AF)

An irregular heart rhythm.

Carotid Endarterectomy

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This is an operation to reduce the chance of stroke in people who have a serious narrowing of one of the arteries in the neck. These neck arteries supply blood to the brain, so narrowing here can mean potential blockage by blood clots, causing a stroke.

(Click here for information leaflet )

Cerebral/Cerebro

Refers to the brain.

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

Another term for a stroke.

Cholesterol

Fatty substance needed by the body as a building block for tissues and chemical processes. Some cholesterol is present in our food, but most is made in the body from the fat we eat. Blood carries cholesterol around the body.

Cognitive impairment

Problems with thinking, planning or memory.

Contractures

Muscle tightening that leads to pain and stiffness in the joints preventing the full range of movement.

CT Scan / CAT Scan

An X ray of the brain in cross section. This provides an instant computerised view of the brain to show any scars caused by blocked circulation or any bleeding into the brain.

Doppler / Duplex scan

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Carotid Dopplers are scans of the blood flow inside the blood vessels of the neck. An ultrasound probe is run over the skin surface of the neck vessels to record blood flow.

Dysarthria

A condition where a person's speech sounds distorted, quiet or slurred due to weakness in the muscles used for making sounds. The person can understand and speaks the correct words and sentences but the weakness can make it difficult for them to be understood.

Dysphagia

Difficulty in swallowing.

Dysphasia

Where a stroke affects the sufferer's ability to use and understand language. This can mean understanding, reading and writing may be affected, as well as speech.

Dyspraxia

Difficulty in carrying out sequences of actions due to problems with coordination. It can affect speech or movement and is not caused by weakness or paralysis of the muscles or by failure to understand.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

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A routine test to measure the rhythm and activity of the heart.

Echocardiogram (Echo)

An ultrasound test to show an image of the heart, which can show up clots or abnormalities.

Embolism/ Embolus

A clot that has broken away from a larger one somewhere else in the body and has travelled through the blood vessels and got stuck somewhere else.

click here for a further diagram of an embolism

Hemianopia

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Blindness in half the visual field of an eye.
This is usually due to an eye problem rather than a stroke.

Homonymous hemianopia

Blindness in half the visual field of both eyes.
This is due to damage to the part of the brain that deals with vision and means you only see to the right or the left, depending which side of the brain is affected.

Hemiparesis

A weakness or partial paralysis on one side of the body.

Hemiplegia

Complete paralysis on one side of the body.

Hypertension

High blood pressure.

Intra-cerebral haemorrhage / Haemorrhagic stroke

Bleeding from a blood vessel within the brain.

INR

International Normalised Ratio – the time it take for blood to clot compared to the normal time. This is used for people taking the drug Warfarin.

Ischaemic stroke

A stroke caused by a blood clot or embolus, disrupting the blood flow to the brain.

MRI Scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

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A scan that uses magnetic forces to produce more detailed images of the brain than a CT scan.

Subarachnoid Haemorrhage

A type of stroke caused by bleeding from a blood vessel into the space between the brain surface and one of its covering membranes.

Thrombosis

Blockage of a blood vessel due to a clot.

Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)

A stroke that recovers within 24 hours. These are most commonly the result of an embolus or atheroma and do not cause any permanent damage to the brain. Might also be referred to as a 'mini-stroke'.

Vascular

Of the blood vessels.

Visual Field Defects

A problem with the vision that affects a part, but not all, of the person's vision. The sufferer may be unaware of the problem.