Diagnostic exam of blood vessel problems: Angiography

An angiogram is an imaging test that uses x-rays to determine if blood flow is normal within the body's blood vessels. Interventional radiologists at Lutheran General Hospital often use this test to study narrow, blocked, or malformed arteries or veins in the brain, heart, abdomen, or legs.

Specific issues can be identified such as

• a blood vessel that bulges out, or aneurysm
• stroke or bleeding in the brain
• malformations in a blood vessel

How an angiogram works

In this procedure, an interventional radiologist inserts a thin tube, known as a catheter, into the artery through a small incision. A contrasting dye is injected to make the blood vessels visible on the X-ray. The physician can then diagnose blockage or narrowing in a blood vessel that interferes with the normal blood flow. An interventional radiologist at Lutheran General Hospital may treat the blockage with special technique such as angioplasty or thrombolysis.

I want to learn more about angiography