When a catheter is used to inject a dye that can be seen on X-rays, the procedure is called angiography. When a catheter is used to clear a narrowed or blocked artery, the procedure is called angioplasty or a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Coccobacillus. A coccobacillus is a type of bacterium with a shape that is intermediate between cocci and bacilli. Coccobacilli are therefore in essence very short rods which may be mistaken for cocci. Haemophilus influenzae, Gardnerella vaginalis, and Chlamydia trachomatis are coccobacilli. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a gram-negative coccobacillus that is prevalent in subgingival plaques. Acinetobacter strains may grow on solid media as coccobacilli. Bordetella pertussis is a gram-negative coccobacillus responsible for causing whooping cough. Coxiella burnetti is also a coccobacillus. Bacteria from the Brucellae genus are medically important coccobacilli that cause brucellosis.
Bacillus. a genus of bacteria that are gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming rods. With the exception of B. anthracis and the occasional wound contamination and bovine mastitis caused by B. cereus, the organisms are largely saprophytic and do not cause disease.However, they may invade devitalized tissue.ny of various rod-shaped, usually gram-positive aerobic bacteria of the genus Bacillus that often occur in chains and include Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. 2. Any of various bacteria, especially a rod-shaped bacterium.