| Subject | Contents |
| Definition | Arteries are not normally seen in an X-ray , so a contrast material or dye is injected into one or more arteries to make them visible. The blood flow through the area can be evaluated with fluoroscopy (i.e., continuous X-rays that allow one to see the contrast material in movement). An arteriogram can be used to examine almost any artery, including those of the head, kidneys, heart, lungs, or other organs. Sometimes, an arteriogram can be used as part of a procedure to repair the blood vessels (this procedure is called a balloon angioplasty ). Please click on any of the following for more specific information: cerebral angiography (head) extremity angiography (arm or leg) renal angiography (kidneys) pulmonary angiography (lungs) lymphangiography (lymph vessels) right heart ventriculography (looking at the right side of the heart) left heart ventriculography (looking at the left side of the heart) coronary angiography (looking at the vessels of the heart) aortic angiography or aortography (looking at the aorta, the major artery from the heart) eye angiography See also cardiac catheterization . |
| Alternative Names | Angiogram; Angiography
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| How the test is performed | The study is carried out in a special laboratory by a trained cardiologist or radiologist and technicians or nurses. A catheter is progressed under fluoroscopy from a vessel in the arm, neck, or groin to the desired point in the body. Then, dye is injected into the vessel(s) of interest and several fluoroscopic projections are examined and stored on film for further analysis. |
| How to prepare for the test | See cardiac catheterization . |
| How the test will feel | |
| Why the test is performed | Non-invasive techniques are often preferred for the initial diagnostic evaluation of vessel obstruction. These tests include: Doppler, radionuclide imaging, and MRA (magnetic resonance angiography). After initial diagnosis and characterization of vessel obstruction, angiography can be a pre-intervention test that provides an anatomic and pathologic "map" to the operator. |
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| What abnormal results mean | |
| What the risks are | |
| Special considerations | |
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