Angiography Definition and Procedure

What is Angiography?

Angiography is a radiographic examination of blood vessels, commonly use by medical physician to study and investigate a suspected abnormalities in arterial and venous systems. An enhancing agent, usually iodinated contrast media is use, this medium absorb xray then blood vessels, veins,

arteries including its lumen and the heart chambers can be visualize radiographically. A thin flexible catheter is then inserted in femoral artery or brachial artery for administration of contrast solution. Fluoroscopy, CT scan and MRI machines is the equipment use, as these machine is design to produced an analogous time lapse images and emit rapid sets of xray for fluoroscopy and CT scan machine.

Angiography Procedure:

3D Cerebral Angiogram

Conventional angiographic procedure may last up to 1 to 3 hours. Patient need to stay at the hospital for about 3-6 hours depending of what catheter and closure used. Concious sedation or local anesthesia is given before the procedure. Accessing to the arterial and venous system of the head it is administered commonly safely though the femoral artery in inguinal part, found in hip area. fluoroscopy is maneuvered by a technician to view the exact location of catheter when inserting upto the cervical vessels upto the cervical vessels. Likewise, Realtime radiographic footage are viewed while contrast media is injected to the arterial and venous system with the supervision of Radiologist.
Afterwards, when catheter is removed, apply hemostatic patch on  puncture site, compress manually and the leg held straight for up to 3 - 6 hours to allow the artery to heal sufficiently. Patients are always seen by their referring physician prior to discharge. Patient are restricted to exercise for 10 days and avoiding swimming for 5 days. In some cases, if bleeding occur patients are instructed to go to have someone to apply direct pressure to the site and go to the nearest hospital.

Why Angiography?

Diagnostic Angiography or arteriography is the most accurate and relatively safe procedure to diagnose aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, carotid stenosis and many other disease of veins or vessels, like embolism. Although its safe, every patients undergo angiography, they must be aware of the risk and and other negative occurances, on the time and after angiogram, that will may possibly occur. To do well, it can be done by giving a full explanation to them before they undergo the procedure.

Cerebral Angiogram

What is Angiogram?

Angiogram is the the images produced by angiographic procedure, this also known as the angiograph. Arteriography and venograph is also use in other countries and department synonymously. Traditional Fluoroscopic Angiography or Digital Subtructed Angiography, angiogram is latently developed in an usual xray film, while in latest CT scan and MRI machines, latent images can be easily constructed in Rotational 3D and 4D images. In addition, Highly sophisticated computers are combined together with these equipments and an automated software is installed to compute binary bits to construct the xray data sense by the detectors and become a viewable and realtime images viewed on a monitor screen.