Year: 2026

An EKG is a recording of the heart’s electrical activity over time. It is a diagnostic test used in cardiology and many other clinical settings. It helps clinicians evaluate heart rhythm, conduction, and indirect signs of cardiac stress or injury. It is commonly encountered in emergency care, inpatient monitoring, and outpatient cardiology visits.

ECG stands for electrocardiogram. It is a diagnostic test that records the heart’s electrical activity from the body surface. It is commonly used in cardiology and emergency care to assess rhythm, conduction, and evidence of myocardial stress or injury. It is encountered in routine clinics, hospital wards, perioperative settings, and outpatient monitoring.

An Electrocardiogram is a test that records the heart’s electrical activity from the skin surface. It is a diagnostic test used to evaluate heart rhythm, conduction, and indirect signs of myocardial stress or injury. It is commonly encountered in emergency care, inpatient cardiology, perioperative medicine, and outpatient clinics. It is often the first-line cardiac test when symptoms suggest arrhythmia or ischemia.

Optical Coherence Tomography is an imaging test that uses light to create very detailed pictures of tissue. It is a diagnostic imaging modality, most often used as an intravascular tool inside coronary arteries. In cardiology, it is commonly encountered during cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It helps clinicians evaluate coronary plaque and stent results at a level of detail that angiography alone may not show.

Intravascular Ultrasound is an imaging test performed from inside a blood vessel using a tiny ultrasound probe on a catheter. It is a procedure-based diagnostic tool used during cardiac catheterization, most commonly in the coronary arteries. It produces cross-sectional pictures of the vessel lumen and vessel wall that are not fully visible on angiography alone. It is commonly encountered during coronary intervention planning and stent optimization in interventional cardiology.

Fractional Flow Reserve is an invasive, physiology-based measurement used to assess how much a coronary artery narrowing limits blood flow. It is a diagnostic test value obtained during coronary angiography using a pressure-sensing coronary wire. It belongs to the category of functional coronary assessment (a physiologic index), not a symptom or a diagnosis by itself. It is commonly encountered in the cardiac catheterization lab when clinicians are deciding whether a coronary stenosis is likely to cause ischemia.

Coronary Angiography is a diagnostic imaging procedure used to visualize the coronary arteries. It is an invasive cardiovascular test that uses a catheter, contrast dye, and X-ray fluoroscopy. It is commonly encountered in the evaluation of chest pain, suspected coronary artery disease, and acute coronary syndromes. It also guides treatment planning for percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass surgery.

Left Heart Catheterization is an invasive cardiovascular procedure that places a catheter into the left-sided circulation of the heart. It is a diagnostic test and procedural platform used to assess coronary arteries and left heart pressures. It is commonly encountered in cardiology when evaluating chest pain, suspected coronary artery disease, or valvular heart disease. It is often performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory using fluoroscopy (live X-ray imaging).

Right Heart Catheterization is an invasive procedure used to measure pressures and blood flow through the right side of the heart and the pulmonary (lung) circulation. It is a diagnostic test and hemodynamic assessment, sometimes performed with monitoring capabilities in critical care. It is commonly encountered in evaluations of pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, shock, and complex valvular or congenital heart disease. It helps clinicians connect symptoms to measurable physiology at the bedside or in the catheterization laboratory.

Cardiac Catheterization is an invasive cardiovascular procedure that uses thin catheters placed into blood vessels and guided to the heart. It is both a diagnostic test and a therapeutic procedure, depending on the tools and goals used during the case. It is commonly encountered in the evaluation of coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and hemodynamic (pressure/flow) problems. It is most often performed in a specialized setting called the cardiac catheterization laboratory (“cath lab”).