• Atrial ablation

    Placement of a heat-generating electrode-tipped catheter in the left and right atrium to restore the even spread of electrical signals throughout the heart.

  • Atrial septum

    Separates the left and right atria. Part of the cardiac septum.

  • Autoimmune disease

    Disease that causes the immune system to attack the body’s own tissue.

  • Balloon dilatation

    Widening of a narrowed blood vessel with the help of a balloon catheter.

  • Bariatric surgery

    Surgical procedures designed to reduce the body weight of very overweight people.

  • Barrett syndrome

    Mucus membrane similar to that found in the gastrointestinal tract, which develops on the lower portion of the oesophagus after chronic acid exposure and frequently leads to cancer (first described by Norman Barrett in 1957).

  • Barrett’s oesophagus

    Mucus membrane similar to that found in the gastrointestinal tract, which develops on the lower portion of the oesophagus after chronic acid exposure and frequently leads to cancer (first described by Norman Barrett in 1957).

  • Benign prostatic hyperplasia

    Benign enlargement of the prostate gland.

  • Biofeedback training

    Form of computer-aided therapy used to train muscle responses.

  • Biopsy

    Method of investigating an organ or tissue with a needle to obtain tissue samples or fluid.

  • Bisphosphonates

    Chemically produced substances (alendronate, ibandronate, risedronate and zoledronate) that effectively prevent bone loss by inhibiting the functioning and number of bone cells that break down bone tissue. They have a delayed effect; after the medication has been discontinued it continues to have an effect for months or even years.