Why angiogram is done

When it is in the right place, the doctor will inflate or expand the balloon or splint, improving the blood flow in that artery. Doctors use angiograms to examine blood vessels. Angiogram results can help doctors diagnose and treat blood vessel problems and cardiovascular diseases. During the procedure, a doctor gently guides a catheter through an artery until it reaches the area of the body under investigation.

Once the catheter reaches the correct location in the body, the doctor will inject contrast dye and take a series of images of the blood vessels. People should contact their doctor if they experience any of these symptoms after having an angiogram.

When they rupture, they can cause a stroke. Learn about their symptoms…. What are the causes and risk factors of an ascending aortic aneurysm? What are the different types, how is it diagnosed and can it be prevented? Atherosclerosis, or arteriosclerosis, happens when plaque collects and causes the arteries to narrow and harden, affecting blood flow.

Learn more here. What to know about angiograms. Medically reviewed by Kevin Martinez, M. What is an angiogram? Share on Pinterest Blood vessel abnormalities may show on an angiogram. What do doctors use angiograms for? Share on Pinterest A doctor can advise on how to prepare for an angiogram. A coronary angiogram is a special procedure that takes dynamic x-ray pictures of your heart.

The purpose of this procedure is to see if your coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked and to look for abnormalities of your heart muscle or heart valves. Another term for coronary angiogram is cardiac catheterisation.

The test is done in a special laboratory called a cardiac catheterisation laboratory cath lab , which is similar to an operating theatre. A slender catheter a thin, hollow plastic tube is threaded through the largest artery in your body the aorta via the wrist or the groin artery until it reaches the coronary arteries of the heart. A special x-ray sensitive dye contrast is injected and dynamic x-rays are taken of the blood vessels as the contrast moves through them.

Apart from diseased coronary arteries, an angiogram can also diagnose a range of heart problems including aneurysm abnormal ballooning of the heart wall , heart arrhythmias irregular heart beat or birth defects, such as a hole in the heart. Most diagnostic coronary angio procedures are done as day cases.

That means that you are in and out of hospital within one day. Before the procedure, a nurse will take your medical history and you will change into a hospital gown. The nurse will prepare you for the procedure by putting in an IV cannula and shaving both sides of your groin and wrist if necessary. Once in the cath lab, you will lie on a special table.

A heart monitor will record your heart beat during the test. The skin on your wrist and both sides of your groin is cleaned with an antiseptic wash and you are covered with sterile drapes.

The doctor injects a small amount of local anaesthetic around the access site wrist or groin to numb the area then inserts a small catheter through the skin into the blood vessel. The doctor watches the progress of the catheter via dynamic x-rays transmitted to a television monitor. Once the catheter is in place, a small amount of contrast x-ray sensitive dye is injected through it.

Further dynamic x-rays are taken as the contrast goes through the blood vessels. In some cases, coronary angiograms are performed on an emergency basis. More commonly, though, they're scheduled in advance, giving you time to prepare. Angiograms are performed in the catheterization cath lab of a hospital. Your health care team will give you specific instructions and talk to you about any medications you take.

General guidelines include:. Before your angiogram procedure starts, your health care team will review your medical history, including allergies and medications you take. The team may perform a physical exam and check your vital signs — blood pressure and pulse. You'll also empty your bladder and change into a hospital gown.

You may have to remove contact lenses, eyeglasses, jewelry and hairpins. In a cardiac catheterization procedure, doctors insert a catheter in an artery in your wrist radial artery or in your groin femoral artery.

The catheter is then threaded through your blood vessels to your heart. For the procedure, you lie on your back on an X-ray table. Because the table may be tilted during the procedure, safety straps may be fastened across your chest and legs. X-ray cameras will move over and around your head and chest to take pictures from many angles. An IV line is inserted into a vein in your arm. You may be given a sedative through the IV to help you relax, as well as other medications and fluids.

You'll be very sleepy and may drift off to sleep during the procedure, but you'll still be able to be easily awakened to follow any instructions. Electrodes on your chest monitor your heart throughout the procedure. A blood pressure cuff tracks your blood pressure and another device, a pulse oximeter, measures the amount of oxygen in your blood.

A small amount of hair may be shaved from your groin or arm where a flexible tube catheter will be inserted. The area is washed and disinfected and then numbed with an injection of local anesthetic.

A small incision is made at the entry site, and a short plastic tube sheath is inserted into your artery. The catheter is inserted through the sheath into your blood vessel and carefully threaded to your heart or coronary arteries. It can help to diagnose or investigate several problems affecting blood vessels, including: atherosclerosis — narrowing of the arteries, which could mean you're at risk of having a stroke or heart attack peripheral arterial disease — reduced blood supply to the leg muscles a brain aneurysm — a bulge in a blood vessel in your brain angina — chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscles blood clots or a pulmonary embolism — a blockage in the artery supplying your lungs a blockage in the blood supply to your kidneys Angiography may also be used to help plan treatment for some of these conditions.

What happens during angiography Angiography is done in a hospital X-ray or radiology department. For the test: you'll usually be awake, but may be given a medicine called a sedative to help you relax you lie on an X-ray table and a small cut incision is made over 1 of your arteries, usually near your groin or wrist — local anaesthetic is used to numb the area where the cut is made a very thin flexible tube catheter is inserted into the artery the catheter is carefully guided to the area that's being examined such as the heart a dye contrast medium is injected into the catheter a series of X-rays are taken as the dye flows through your blood vessels The test can take between 30 minutes and 2 hours.

Risks of angiography Angiography is generally a safe and painless procedure. But for a few days or weeks afterwards it's common to have: bruising soreness a very small lump or collection of blood near where the cut was made There's also a very small risk of more serious complications, such as an allergic reaction to the dye, a stroke or a heart attack.