Cardiac Imaging Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
T2 mapping
A cardiac MRI technique that quantifies myocardial water content to detect tissue edema and inflammation.
A4C
Apical four-chamber echocardiographic view displaying both atria and ventricles in a single imaging plane.
adenosine stress protocol
Pharmacological stress testing protocol using adenosine infusion to induce coronary vasodilation for cardiac imaging.
akinesis
Complete absence of wall motion in a segment of the myocardium, typically indicating severe ischemia or infarction.
apical ballooning syndrome
A form of cardiomyopathy characterized by transient left ventricular dysfunction with distinctive apical wall motion abn...
apical four-chamber view
Standard echocardiographic imaging plane showing all four cardiac chambers simultaneously.
ARVD
A genetic cardiomyopathy characterized by replacement of right ventricular myocardium with fibrofatty tissue.
balanced SSFP sequence
Balanced steady-state free precession MRI sequence providing high signal-to-noise ratio and excellent blood-myocardium c...
cardiac catheterization
Invasive procedure using contrast injection through catheters to visualize coronary arteries and assess cardiac function...
cardiac CTA
Computed tomography angiography of the heart and coronary arteries using contrast enhancement.
cardiac cycle length
The time interval between consecutive heartbeats, typically measured in milliseconds and used for cardiac imaging timing...
CCTA
Coronary computed tomography angiography, a non-invasive imaging method to visualize coronary arteries using CT technolo...
cine MRI
Dynamic MRI technique capturing multiple phases of the cardiac cycle to assess heart function and wall motion.
circumferential strain
A measure of myocardial deformation in the short-axis direction, quantifying how the heart muscle contracts around its c...
circumflex artery
One of the major coronary arteries that supplies blood to the lateral and posterior walls of the left ventricle.
contrast echocardiography
Echocardiographic technique using microbubble contrast agents to enhance image quality and assess myocardial perfusion.
contrast-induced nephropathy
Acute kidney injury occurring within 48-72 hours after iodinated contrast administration, defined by specific creatinine...
coronary artery anomaly classification
Systematic categorization of congenital coronary artery variations based on origin, course, and hemodynamic significance...
coronary artery calcium score
Quantitative CT measurement of calcified atherosclerotic plaque burden in coronary arteries, typically expressed as Agat...
coronary dominance pattern
Anatomical classification describing which coronary artery supplies the posterior descending artery and posterolateral b...
coronary flow reserve
The ratio of maximal coronary blood flow during hyperemia to resting coronary blood flow, indicating coronary vascular f...
DENSE imaging
Displacement encoding with stimulated echoes MRI technique for quantifying myocardial deformation and strain.
diastolic dysfunction
Impaired relaxation and filling of the left ventricle during diastole, often assessed by echocardiographic parameters.
diastolic filling pattern
The characteristic flow profile across the mitral valve during diastole, classified as normal, impaired relaxation, pseu...
dobutamine stress echo
An echocardiographic stress test using dobutamine infusion to assess cardiac function and detect coronary artery disease...