Interventional Cardiology:
Interventional Cardiology can be defined as an area of medicine within the subspecialty of cardiology that uses specialized imaging and other diagnostic techniques to evaluate blood flow and pressure in the coronary arteries and chambers of the heart, as well as technical procedures and medications to treat abnormalities that impair the function of the cardiovascular system. It deals specifically with the catheter-based treatment of heart diseases.
Endovascular Interventions:
Endovascular surgery is an innovative, less invasive procedure used to treat problems affecting the blood vessels, such as an aneurysm, which is a swelling or "ballooning" of the blood vessel. The surgery involves making a small incision near each hip to access the blood vessels. An endovascular graft, which is a special fabric tube device framed with stainless steel self-expanding stents, is inserted through the arteries in a catheter, a long, narrow flexible tube, and positioned inside the aorta.
Structural heart disease also, known as the problem with the tissues or valves of the heart and most of the structural heart diseases are genetic, which means present at birth. Some structural heart disease will develop later in life. There are many kinds of structural heart diseases, but they all involve a defect or disorder in the structure of the heart tissue or valves. Heart conditions that fall in the category of structural heart disease include, Aortic valve stenosis, Atrial septal defect and Patent foramen ovale, Heart valve disease, Mitral valve regurgitation, Left ventricular hypertrophy, Cardiomyopathy, Marfan syndrome and Myocarditis etc.
Preventive Cardiology is the knowledge related to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, either its manifestation or its progression with the aim to avert life-threatening cardiovascular events and to reduce cardiac mortality. Preventive cardiology also calls for a different approach to our patients: it aims to influence the underlying systemic disease process of atherosclerosis, of which the acute events are just short manifestations. It focuses on the improvement of long term outcome rather than acute symptomatic relief and may have a greater impact on patient longevity than sophisticated interventions.
Cardiac-Sonography or Echocardiography is the use of ultrasound to examine the heart's chambers, walls, valves and vessels. Mostly use of technology such as sophisticated diagnostic ultrasound imaging machines and transducers that use high-frequency sound waves to produce dynamic visual images to complete important tasks, such as:
- Acquiring information related to the heart's anatomy and physiology
- Producing real-time images of cardiac structures to assist the physician in diagnosing cardiovascular disease
- Evaluating acquired and congenital cardiac abnormalities and associated complications
- Evaluating narrowed or leaking heart valves
- Looking for causes of murmurs, chest pain, shortness of breath
- Tracking and evaluating chronic heart conditions
Clinical Cardiology can be defined as the branch of medicine which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases. Cardiologists frequently specialize in interventional cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology, echocardiography, or nuclear cardiology. Each of these specialties offers unique techniques when dealing with disorders of the heart.