Angiography meaning

Angiography is done in a hospital X-ray or radiology department. It usually takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours, and you can usually go home the same day. Preparing for angiography You may be asked to attend a hospital appointment to check you can have angiography. This may involve: • being asked about your medical history, including if you have any • being asked about any medicine you're taking – you'll be told if you need to stop taking it before the test • having tests to check your general health, including a physical examination and • discussing the procedure, including what it involves, what the risks are, what you need to do before the test and whether you'd like to have a sedative on the day to help you relax If you decide to have a sedative, you'll be asked to not eat for a few hours before the test. You'll also need to arrange for someone to take you home from the hospital because you will not be able to drive yourself home. The angiography procedure While having angiography you'll be asked to wear a hospital gown and lie on an X-ray table Credit: IMANE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/91540/view For the test: • you'll usually be awake, but • a small cut is made in the skin over 1 of your arteries, usually near your groin or wrist – • a long, thin, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into the artery and is carefully guided to the area being examined – you may feel some pushing and pulling when this is done, but it should not be painful •...

Coronary angiography is a test to see if you have a blockage in a coronary artery. A contrast dye is injected into your arteries through a catheter, while your doctor watches how blood flows through your heart on an X-ray screen. Your doctor will want to do a coronary angiography if they’re concerned that you’re at risk of a heart attack, or if you have This test is also known as a cardiac angiogram, catheter arteriography, or Doctors often use an MRI or a CT scan before a coronary angiography test, in an effort to pinpoint problems with your heart. Don’t eat or drink anything for eight hours before the angiography. Arrange for someone to give you a ride home. You should also have someone stay with you the night after your test because you may feel dizzy or light-headed for the first 24 hours after the cardiac angiography. In many cases, you’ll be asked to check into the hospital the morning of the test, and you’ll be able to check out later the same day. At the hospital, you’ll be asked to wear a hospital gown and to sign consent forms. The nurses will take your blood pressure, start an Let your doctor know if you’re allergic to seafood, if you’ve had a bad reaction to contrast dye in the past, if you’re taking sildenafil (Viagra), or if you might be pregnant. Before the test, you’ll be given a mild sedative to help you relax. You’ll be awake throughout the test. Your doctor will clean and numb an area of your body in the groin or arm with an anesthetic. You may feel a du...

What is an abdominal angiogram? An angiogram is an imaging test that uses X-rays to look at your blood vessels. It is done to check for conditions such as: • Weak, stretched or enlarged portion of a blood vessel (aneurysm) • Narrowing of a blood vessel (stenosis) • Blockages An abdominal angiogram looks at the blood vessels in your belly (abdomen). It may be used to check blood flow to the organs of the abdomen, such as the liver and spleen. It may also be used to guide in the placement of medicine or other materials to treat cancer or bleeding in the abdomen. Fluoroscopy is often used during an abdominal angiogram. This is a kind of X-ray "movie" with continuous X-rays showing the provider real time images of the test procedure. Contrast dye is used to cause the blood vessels to appear solid on the X-ray image. This lets the radiologist see the blood vessels more clearly. Dye is injected into specific blood vessels to look at a certain area of blood flow more closely. For an abdominal angiogram, a catheter (small tube) is placed into a large artery in your groin and then placed into the specific artery of interest. Contrast is injected through this tube. Next, the radiologist takes a series of X-ray pictures. These X-ray images show the blood flow in the abdomen. You may also have a CT (computed tomography) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan with your angiogram. Why might I need an abdominal angiogram? You may need an abdominal angiogram to find problems of the...

What is a cerebral angiography? Cerebral angiography is a diagnostic test that uses an X-ray. It produces a cerebral angiogram, or an image that can help your doctor find blockages or other abnormalities in the blood vessels of your head and neck. Blockages or abnormalities can lead to a stroke or bleeding in the brain. For this test, a doctor injects a contrast medium into your blood. The contrast material helps the X-ray create a clear picture of your blood vessels so that your doctor can identify any blockages or abnormalities. Not everyone who may have arterial blockages needs to have cerebral angiography. It’s usually performed only if your doctor needs more information to plan your treatment after other testing. That’s because it’s invasive and carries some risks. An angiogram can also be used to help treat some of the conditions involving the blood vessels of the neck and brain. Cerebral angiography can help diagnose: • • • • vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessels • brain tumors • blood clots • tears in the lining of an artery Cerebral angiography may also help your doctor figure out the cause of certain symptoms, including: • stroke • severe headaches • loss of memory • slurred speech • dizziness • blurred or double vision • weakness or numbness • loss of balance or coordination Talk to your doctor about how you should prepare. You may not be able to eat or drink after midnight prior to the procedure. Before the procedure, your doctor may also ask you to ...

Pulmonary angiography is an X-ray procedure that looks at the blood vessels leading to and from your lungs. The X-rays produced are called pulmonary angiograms, which may show blood clots in and around your lungs — called A special dye stains your blood vessels, so they appear bright white under X-rays. This contrast allows doctors to see any blood clots and other blood vessel-related conditions. Pulmonary angiography is often used to look for blood clots in the artery that leads from your heart to your lungs. Why Do I Need Pulmonary Angiography? Your doctor may order the procedure if you’re showing common symptoms of a blood clot, including: • Chest pain • High blood pressure specific to areas around the lungs and heart • A history of other blood clots or Pulmonary angiography can help identify several other conditions in the lung region, including: • • Abnormal connections between your blood vessels, such as between arteries and veins • Birth conditions that affected the development of your blood vessels • Stenosis, when the openings in your blood vessels have narrowed Pulmonary angiography can also monitor blood flow into the lungs. How Is Pulmonary Angiography Done? Before the pulmonary angiography, be sure to tell your doctor if: • You’re pregnant • Have any known allergies • Have a history of allergic reactions Your doctor will have specific instructions about whether or not you need to stop eating or drinking for a few hours before the procedure. Your doctor may als...

Coronary angiogram In a coronary angiogram, a catheter is inserted into an artery in the groin, arm or neck and threaded through the blood vessels to the heart. A coronary angiogram can show blocked or narrowed blood vessels in the heart. A coronary angiogram is a procedure that uses X-ray imaging to see your heart's blood vessels. The test is generally done to see if there's a restriction in blood flow going to the heart. Coronary angiograms are part of a general group of procedures known as heart (cardiac) catheterizations. Cardiac catheterization procedures can both diagnose and treat heart and blood vessel conditions. A coronary angiogram, which can help diagnose heart conditions, is the most common type of cardiac catheterization procedure. During a coronary angiogram, a type of dye that's visible by an X-ray machine is injected into the blood vessels of your heart. The X-ray machine rapidly takes a series of images (angiograms), offering a look at your blood vessels. If necessary, your doctor can open clogged heart arteries (angioplasty) during your coronary angiogram. Why it's done Your doctor may recommend that you have a coronary angiogram if you have: • Symptoms of coronary artery disease, such as chest pain (angina) • Pain in your chest, jaw, neck or arm that can't be explained by other tests • New or increasing chest pain (unstable angina) • A heart defect you were born with (congenital heart disease) • Abnormal results on a noninvasive heart stress test • Othe...