alloy: A mixture or solution of two or more metals.

angioplasty: A medical procedure used to repair a damaged or diseased artery.

balloon catheter: A tube with a balloon at its tip for dilating arteries, used in angioplasty.

beta rays: Radioactive emissions consisting of energetic electrons.

blended interface: The merging or blending of a coating into the substrate material.

brachytherapy: Placement of a radioactive source in or near tissue to deliver radiation therapy.

cardiovascular system: The heart with a network of blood vessels that circulates blood around the body.

catheter: A flexible tubular device for insertion into a narrow opening used to deliver a balloon and/or a stent during angioplasty.

chemical vapor deposition: Depositing a coating by decomposition of a compound gas on a surface.

coronary artery: A vessel which delivers oxygenated blood to the heart muscle.

cyclotron: A circular ion accelerator used in medicine to produce radioisotopes.

dopant: An impurity element used to add positive or negative charge to a semiconductor.

external beam radiation treatment: A beam of x-rays or electrons usually generated by a linear accelerator for radiation therapy.

femoral: Relating to the human femur or thigh bone.

gamma rays: Electromagnetic radiation emitted by a nucleus.

guidewire: Wire used to guide a catheter through a narrow opening.

hyperplasia: Excessive proliferation of smooth muscle cells within the coronary artery.

intima: The inner layer of cells of an artery.

iodine - 125: A radioisotope emitting x-rays with a 60- day half-life.

ion: Charged atom, usually positive.

ion assisted deposition: Traditional PVD deposition with a simultaneous ion bombard used to pump energy into the growing coating and control coating properties.

ion implantation: The acceleration of ions to high velocity to embed them into a surface.

linear accelerator: A straight ion accelerator used for external radiation therapy or radioisotope production.

magnetron sputtering: A process used to intensify the emission of material from the surface of a target by magnetic means in order to form a coating on a substrate.

native oxide: The natural oxide which exists on most active metals such as stainless steel, cobalt-chrome or titanium.

osteoarthritis: A disease of the joint cartilage and underlying bone, which may cause pain and impair joint function.

osteolysis: A dissolution of the organic matrix of bone resulting in destruction.

palladium-103: A radioisotope emitting x-rays with a 17 day half-life.

phosphorus-32: A radioisotope emitting only beta rays with a 14 day half-life.

physical vapor deposition: Depositing a coating by condensing it from the vapor onto a substrate.

plasma: An energetic, gaseous cloud of charged atoms (ions) and electrons.

radioactive seed: A small permanently implanted pellet containing therapeutic radioactivity.

radioactive stent: A stent which contains a radioactive isotope embedded within its metal surface.

radioactive wet chemistry: A chemical process using radioactive liquid solutions.

radiopaque: Opaque to x-ray radiation and thus visible on x-ray film.

restenosis: The re-occlusion or closure of an artery after a new channel has been formed using a balloon or stent.

stent: A metal mesh tube implanted into an artery to hold it open.

thin film coatings: Coatings of an element or compound usually less than 10 microns thick.

vacuum deposition process: An extremely clean deposition process performed under vacuum.

X-rays: Electromagnetic radiation emitted by atomic electrons.

Ytterbium-169: A radioisotope emitting x-rays and gamma rays with a 32 day half-life.

Yttrium-90: A radioisotope emitting only beta rays with a 3 day half-life.