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.
The difference in morphology of cocci and bacilli lies in shape of the bacterium. Cocci and bacilli differ in their shape. Cocci are spherical in shape: whereas bacilli are rod-shaped. Cocci are usually aflagellate, i.e. lacking flagella. Bacilli may be aflagellate or flagellate. The number and position of flagella differ in different bacillus forms. Both cocci and bacilli may occur singly or in aggregation of two or more and termed accordingly.