Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

arterial anastomosis
A joining of two arteries.
See also 
anastomosis.
arterial aneurysm
See 
aneurysm, arterial.
arterial blood gas
See 
ABG.
arterial pressure
The pressure of the blood
within an artery. Also known as arterial tension and
intra-arterial pressure.
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arterial pressure
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arterial tension
See 
arterial pressure.
arteriogram
An X-ray in which an injection of
dye shows blood vessels.
arteriole
A small branch of an artery that leads to
a capillary. The oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyhemo-
globin) makes the blood in arterioles (and arteries)
look bright red.
arteriosclerosis
Hardening and thickening of
the walls of the arteries. Arteriosclerosis leads to
heart attacks and strokes, as well as to peripheral
vascular disease. Arteriosclerosis can be catego-
rized as atherosclerosis, medial calcification, hyper-
tensive, or arteriolar sclerosis. See also
atherosclerosis; heart attack; stroke; peripheral
vascular disease.
arteriosclerotic aneurysm
See 
aneurysm,
arteriosclerotic.
arteriovenous malformation
See 
malforma-
tion, arteriovenous.
arteritis, cranial
A serious disease character-
ized by inflammation of the walls of arteries, partic-
ularly those that supply blood to the head.
Symptoms include headache, pain in the jaw when
repetitively chewing, and tenderness of the scalp,
usually over the inflamed arteries of the sides of the
head (temporal area). Less specific symptoms
include fatigue, low-grade fever, and weight loss.
The muscle aching of polymyalgia rheumatica is
seen in one-fourth of patients with cranial arteritis.
When the arteries affected by cranial arteritis
become inflamed, they can narrow to the degree
that the blood flow through them is limited. This can
cause serious deficiency of oxygen supply to the tis-
sues that are normally supplied by these arteries.
Deficient oxygenation of the eyes or brain can lead
to impaired or double vision, blindness, or stroke.
Patients with cranial arteritis are usually over 50
years of age. The disease is detected by a biopsy of
an artery and treated with high dose cortisone-
related medications. Also known as temporal arteri-
tis and giant cell arteritis. See also 
polymyalgia
rheumatica.