Heart / Cardiac Diseases / Symptons / Syptoms / Diaganosis & Treatments

Ultrasound – High-frequency sound vibrations, which cannot be heard by the human ear, used in medical diagnosis.

Triglyceride – The most common fatty substance found in the blood; normally stored as an energy source in fat tissue. High triglyceride levels may thicken the blood and make a person more susceptible to clot formation. High triglyceride levels tend to accompany high cholesterol levels and other risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity.

Tricuspid valve – The structure that controls blood flow from the heart’s upper right chamber (the right atrium) into the lower right chamber (the right ventricle).

Transplantation – Replacing a failing organ with a healthy one from a donor.

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) – A stroke-like event that lasts only for a short time and is caused by a temporarily blocked blood vessel.

Transesophageal echocardiography – A diagnostic test that analyzes sound waves bounced off the heart. The sound waves are sent through a tube-like device inserted in the mouth and passed down the esophagus (food pipe), which ends near the heart. This technique is useful in studying patients whose heart and vessels, for various reasons, are difficult [...]

Transcatheter intervention – Any of the noninvasive procedures usually performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Angioplasty is an example of a transcatheter intervention. Also called a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Trans fat – Created when hydrogen is forced through an ordinary vegetable oil (hydrogenation), converting some polyunsaturates to monounsaturates, and some monounsaturates to saturates. Trans fat, like saturated fat, tends to raise LDL cholesterol levels, and, unlike saturated fat, trans fat also lowers HDL cholesterol levels at the same time.

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) – A clot-dissolving medicine that is used to treat heart attack and stroke patients.

Thyroid – A gland located in the front of the neck, just below the voice box.