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| What is an angiogram? |
An angiogram is a special diagnostic
radiological study or x-ray of your blood vessels.
An interventional radiologist, who is a specialist
in this field, places a catheter (a small tube) into
one of your vessels and injects contrast ("x-ray
dye") into the vessel while taking x-rays of the
area. The contrast makes the vessel visible on the
x-rays enabling the radiologist to determine what
circulation problems you may have.
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| Why do I need an angiogram? |
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A narrowing or blockage of an vessel
is one of the most common reasons for an angiogram.
It can tell where the vessel is narrowed or blocked,
how severely it is affected, what is causing the
problem, and what can be done to fix it.
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| How is an angiogram performed? |
| An angiogram has three major steps:
insertion of a small catheter into your vessel, injection
of contrast into the vessel while x-ray images are
obtained, and finally removal of the catheter. You
will be given a local anesthetic for the catheter insertion,
as well as intravenous medication for your comfort
for the duration of the exam. After removal of the
catheter pressure will be placed on the site for 10
to 15 minutes to keep the vessel from bleeding. You
will be monitored after the procedure until your medication
wears off. Depending on the results of your diagnostic
study, you may benefit from subsequent minimally invasive
therapy performed by an interventional radiologist
and/or surgery performed by a surgeon. |
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