What is
angiography?
Angiography is a test that uses an
injection of a liquid dye to make the
arteries easily visible on X-rays.
When is angiography used?
An
angiogram was once commonly used to
check the condition of blood vessels.
Nowadays, non-invasive tests provide the
same information with less discomfort
and risk to the patient. These include:
Doppler, digital subtraction angiography
(from venous dye injection), ultrasound,
CT scans and MRI scans.
-
Angiography may be used if the
doctor is considering surgery,
because it shows a clear picture of
the blood vessels.
-
Angiography may reveal aneurysms (a
bulge on an artery caused by a blood
vessel wall becoming weaker).
- An
angiogram can also be used to give a
good view of the carotid artery and
its branches in the neck and head.
This is generally done to
investigate a bleed in the brain
(cerebral bleed) or identify the
blood supply to a tumour. The
angiogram can be used to show if an
operation is necessary or possible.
-
Angiography is used to look at the
coronary arteries that send blood to
the heart. The test is used to show
if the arteries of the heart have
narrowed.
-
Angiography is used to look at the
arteries in the legs and kidneys, as
well as the aorta (the body's
largest artery).
-
Angiography is used to look at the
liver to localise abnormalities,
including tumours. This can be
particularly useful when planning
surgery.
How is
angiography done?
Before
taking an X-ray, a liquid dye is
injected into the blood vessels. When
the test is on the arteries of the
heart, the carotid artery, or the major
arteries coming from the aorta, the
catheter is inserted into the groin, or
occasionally the arm.
- Before
a catheter can be inserted into an
artery, the surrounding area has to
be numbed with a local anaesthetic.
- A
short, thin wire with a rounded tip
is then carefully inserted into the
artery using a needle. It is guided
with the help of fluoroscopy (X-ray
images) to the spot where the dye is
needed.
- The
needle is then removed and a
vascular sheath inserted around the
wire. A catheter may then be
inserted along the guide wire.
- When
the catheter is in the correct
position, the wire is pulled out and
dye is inserted through the
catheter. The patient may experience
a feeling of warmth in the area, but
this will disappear after a few
seconds.
- Now
the blood vessels can be checked on
a screen, or on a series of rapidly
recorded X-rays.
Is
angiography dangerous?
- A
small minority of patients are
allergic to the liquid dye, mainly
due to the iodine content of the
dye. Anyone who has previously
experienced such reactions should
mention this to the doctor.
- There
is a small risk of the catheter
damaging the blood vessels that it
was inserted through.
-
Cerebral angiography carries a small
but significant risk of a serious
adverse outcome.
-
Pregnant women should enquire about
the risks of the fluoroscopy (X-ray
screening) harming their baby.
-
Patients suffering from severe
liver, heart or kidney diseases may
be at greater risk, and should seek
advice from the specialist.
- The
risk of X-rays being harmful is very
small. Modern X-ray machines are
designed to take high quality
pictures using the minimum radiation
dose.
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For more Consult at
aerodoctor@pilots-medical.com
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