Anticoagulation – therapy to reduce blood clotting and thrombosis.
Acute – a short sharp illness that may be severe but from which most people will recover in a few weeks without lasting effects.
Ascites – an accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity which surrounds the bowel, leading to enlarged, swollen and tender abdomen.
Chronic – an illness that lasts a long time (more than six months), possibly for the rest of a person’s life.
Clot – as in blood clot, a lump made from blood cells that form to prevent bleeding also referred to as a thrombus.
Cyst – an abnormal, fl uid-fi lled balloon-like structure (sac) that can grow in any part of your body.
Enzyme – a substance, usually a protein, produced by the body to help speed up a chemical reaction.
Fulminant – sudden and severe onset of symptoms.
Hepatic – anything relating to the liver.
Inferior vena cava – the large vein that carries blood back to the heart from the lower part of the body.
Inflammation – the first response of the immune system to infection, commonly characterised by heat, swelling, pain and tenderness.
Membranous – made of or similar to the tissue of a membrane, i.e. thin, pliable and semi-transparent.
Occlusion – obstruction or closing off.
Portal vein – the vein that carries blood from the bowel and the spleen to the liver. TIPSS stands for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunts, a surgical procedure to lower the pressure in the portal vein.
Thrombosis – the formation or presence of a blood clot (thrombus) inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. People with a thrombosis may be said to have thrombotic disease.
Tumour – an abnormal lump or swelling of tissue caused by an uncontrolled build-up of cells.
Vascular – a term relating to veins, arteries and smaller blood vessels in the body.