What it means
From a Greek word for porridge, describing the soft fatty deposit in artery walls. In atherosclerosisath-er-oh-skluh-ROH-sisA buildup of fatty deposits (plaque) inside the walls of the arteries.ather/o fatty pastescler/o hard-osis conditionFull entry these plaques narrow and harden the arteries, an atheroma is a single plaque, and an atherectomy is a procedure to remove plaque.
At a glance
| Also written | athero- |
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Related terms
atherosclerosis
A buildup of fatty deposits (plaque) inside the walls of the arteries.
arteriosclerosis
Thickening and stiffening of the walls of the arteries, so they lose their ability to stretch.
scler/o
A word root that means hard, or the sclera, the white of the eye.
lipoprotein
A particle made of fat and protein that carries cholesterol and other fats through the blood.