Coronary angiography

Coronary Angiography

Coronary angiography is a diagnostic procedure that uses X-ray imaging to see the heart's blood vessels. It is part of a general group of procedures known as cardiac catheterization. This procedure is used to identify blockages or other abnormalities in the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle.

History

The development of coronary angiography began in the 20th century. The first human coronary angiogram was performed by Dr. Mason Sones in 1958 at the Cleveland Clinic. This breakthrough allowed for the visualization of coronary arteries and paved the way for modern interventional cardiology.

Indications

Coronary angiography is typically indicated for patients who have:

• Symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD), such as chest pain (angina) or shortness of breath.
• Abnormal results from non-invasive tests, such as a stress test.
• A history of heart attack, to assess the extent of damage to the heart.
• Unexplained heart failure or other heart-related symptoms.

Procedure

The procedure is usually performed in a hospital's catheterization laboratory (cath lab). It involves the following steps:

1. Preparation: The patient is given a mild sedative to help them relax. The area where the catheter will be inserted (usually the groin or wrist) is cleaned and numbed with a local anesthetic.

2. Catheter Insertion: A thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel and guided to the coronary arteries.

3. Contrast Injection: A special dye (contrast material) is injected through the catheter into the coronary arteries.

4. Imaging: X-ray images are taken as the dye flows through the arteries, allowing the cardiologist to see any blockages or abnormalities.

5. Completion: Once the procedure is complete, the catheter is removed, and pressure is applied to the insertion site to prevent bleeding.

Risks

While coronary angiography is generally safe, it does carry some risks, including:

• Bleeding or bruising at the catheter insertion site.
• Allergic reaction to the contrast dye.
• Heart attack or stroke (rare).
• Damage to the blood vessels or heart.

Alternatives

Non-invasive alternatives to coronary angiography include:

• CT coronary angiography
• Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
• Echocardiography

Also see

• Cardiac catheterization
• Coronary artery disease
• Percutaneous coronary intervention
• Heart attack

Cardiovascular disease A-Z

Most common cardiac diseases

• Cardiac arrhythmia‎
• Cardiogenetic disorders‎
• Cardiomegaly‎
• Cardiomyopathy‎
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation‎
• Chronic rheumatic heart diseases‎
• Congenital heart defects‎
• Heart neoplasia‎
• Ischemic heart diseases‎
• Pericardial disorders
• Syndromes affecting the heart‎
• Valvular heart disease‎

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Accelerated idioventricular rhythm
• Acute decompensated heart failure
• Arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Athletic heart syndrome
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular fistula
• Cardiovascular disease in Australia
• Autoimmune heart disease

B

• Brown atrophy of the heart

C

• Ebb Cade
• Cardiac allograft vasculopathy
• Cardiac amyloidosis
• Cardiac asthma
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiogeriatrics
• Cardiorenal syndrome
• Cardiotoxicity
• Carditis
• Coronary artery aneurysm
• Coronary artery anomaly
• Coronary artery disease
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Coronary artery ectasia
• Coronary occlusion
• Coronary steal
• Coronary thrombosis
• Coronary vasospasm
• Cœur en sabot
• Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy

D

• Duke Treadmill Score
• Duroziez's disease

E

• Eisenmenger's syndrome
• Embryocardia
• Endocardial fibroelastosis
• Eosinophilic myocarditis

H

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Heart to Heart (1949 film)
• High-output heart failure
• Hyperdynamic precordium

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

• Idiopathic giant-cell myocarditis
• Interventricular dyssynchrony
• Intraventricular dyssynchrony
• Isolated atrial amyloidosis

K

• Keshan disease

L

• Loeffler endocarditis

M

• Mydicar
• Myocardial bridge
• Myocardial disarray
• Myocardial rupture
• Myocardial scarring
• Myocardial stunning
• Myocarditis

N

• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis

O

• OLR1
• Ostial disease

P

• Papillary fibroelastoma
• Pathophysiology of heart failure
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Pulmonary vein stenosis

R

• Right axis deviation
• Roemheld syndrome

S

• Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease
• SCAR-Fc
• Shone's syndrome
• Strain pattern
• Subacute bacterial endocarditis
• Sudden cardiac death of athletes

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

• Traumatic cardiac arrest

V

• Ventricular aneurysm
• Vibroacoustic disease
• Viral cardiomyopathy

W

• Waon therapy