Glossary of Terms

Angioplasty is the technique of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel.

Autonomic dysfunction, (also called dysautonomia), is a chronic illness that causes a dysregulation of autonomic nervous system (ANS) functions. It can be a symptom of another illness, or an illness in itself. ANS is the regulatory part of the central nervous system that regulates the automatic functions within the body that occur without conscious effort (such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, digestion, etc.)

The Azygos vein is the vein running up the right side of the thoracic vertebral column of the spine. It is called azygos, because it doesn’t have a partner vein on the left side of the body.

CCSVI (Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency) is a medical condition where deoxygenated blood flow from the veins surrounding the brain and spine is slowed or blocked in its return to the heart. This condition arises from blockage in the internal jugular and/or azygos veins.

Dr. Mark Haacke is a physicist who developed special imaging techniques required to diagnose abnormalities of blood flow in the jugular veins. These techniques and processes are referred to as The Haacke Protocol.

Dr. Paolo Zamboni is an Italian doctor and vascular surgeon who found in a preliminary study that in over 90% of the participants afflicted with multiple sclerosis there were several problems in veins draining their brain, like stenosis or defective valves. Zamboni named this condition “Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency” (CCSVI).

Dysautonomia (also called autonomic dysfunction), is a chronic illness that causes a dysregulation of autonomic nervous system (ANS) functions. It can be a symptom of another illness, or an illness in itself. ANS is the regulatory part of the central nervous system that regulates the automatic functions within the body that occur without conscious effort (such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, digestion, etc.).

Etiology refers to the cause or causes of a disease or abnormal condition.

The HIPPA Privacy Regulations require health care providers and organizations, as well as their business associates, develop and follow procedures that ensure the confidentiality and security of protected health information (PHI) when it is transferred, received, handled, or shared. This applies to all forms of PHI, including paper, oral, and electronic, etc. Furthermore, only the minimum health information necessary to conduct business is to be used or shared.

Interventional Medicine is an emerging field that focuses on image guided procedures and treatment for patients with a variety of diseases. Practiced by board-certified physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments, they offer in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties.

Interventional Radiology is a recognized medical specialty by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Interventional radiologists are board-certified physicians with extensive training in vascular disease diagnosis, management and treatment. This training marries state-of-the-art imaging and diagnostic expertise.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a medical imaging methodology using a specially designed catheter with a miniaturized ultrasound probe attached to the distal end of the catheter. It allows the application of ultrasound technology to see from inside blood vessels out through the surrounding blood column.

Jugular Veins are veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava.

MRV (Magnetic Resonance Venography) is the type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used to visualize veins. The MRV incorporates special computer software allows it to only extract generated-by-blood images, as it flows through the veins.

Neurodegenerative Disease is an umbrella term for a range of conditions, which primarily affect the neurons in the human brain. They are incurable and debilitating conditions that result in progressive degeneration and/or death of nerve cells. Examples include Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s diseases.

Phleobology is the medical specialty that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of venous origin.

R-R Interval is a medical term that is used in relation to a patient’s heart rate, and is displayed by waves on an electrocardiogram. This is an indicator of the time between beats. These have peaks and valleys and each point is assigned a letter designation. The time between R peaks is used to determine the heart rate.

R-R Interval Variability describes the changes to the heart rate that occurs in healthy individuals under various conditions. In normal individuals impulses from the vagus nerve will either slow or increase the heart rate indicating that the autonomic nervous system is adjusting the heart rate to the body’s needs. This effect by the vagus nerve is known as R-R interval variability.

Restenosis is the name given to the formation of new blockages within an artery, after the artery has been treated with angioplasty or stenting.

Stenosis literally means, “narrowing.” A blockage in veins caused by an abnormal narrowing of the vein itself.

Stents are man-made ‘tubes’ constructed of mesh metal, inserted into the vein to prevent, or counteract, a localized flow constriction.

Transjugular Vagal Modulation (TVM) is a possible explanation of how dysautonomia symptoms respond. The delivery of mechanical stimulation to the vagus nerve via the jugular vein that improves vagus function.

The Vagus Nerve is either one of two cranial nerves, which are extremely long, extending from the brain stem all the way to the viscera. The vagus nerve is one of the many vital nerves that keep the human body in working order. Abnormal functioning of the vagus nerve causes significant complications with autonomic functions such as speech, digestion, and breathing.

Valvuloplasty is performed, in certain circumstances, to open a stenotic (stiff) heart valve. In valvuloplasty, a very small, narrow, hollow tube, or catheter, is advanced from a blood vessel in the groin through the aorta into the heart

Venograms are procedures that provide x-ray visualization of the veins. A special dye is injected that is visible upon x-ray. The contrast dye allows the physician to evaluate the size and condition of the veins.

Venography (also called phlebography) is a procedure in which an x-ray of the veins, a venogram, is taken after a special dye is injected into the veins.

Venous Angioplasty is a procedure used to widen obstructed or narrowed veins.