ANGIOGRAPHY

Angiography is an x-ray technique wherein dye injected through the heart chambers and the coronary arteries around the heart is visualized on a monitor. This technique is used to measure the blood flow and blood pressure in the heart chambers to see if the coronary arteries are blocked.

How It Works

Doctors perform a cardiac catheterization procedure, in which a long, thin catheter is inserted into a leg artery and threaded up to the heart. After the catheter reaches the heart, dye is injected through the catheter into the heart. The dye allows doctors to visualize how the heart chambers and coronary arteries are working. The movement of the dye is recorded as an angiogram and viewed on a television monitor.

Resources

Texas Heart Institute www.texasheartinstitute.com/HIC/Topics/Diag/diangio.cfm

Hoag Hospital www.hoaghospital.org/heartinstitute/Coronary-Diagnose.aspx