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Introduction
 Angiography is derived from the Greek term 'angeion'
meaning vessel and 'graphien' which means to write of
record. Angiography or arteriography is a technique
of medical imaging where an X-Ray is taken of the heart
to visualize the inner opening of the arteries, veins
and the four heart chambers, right atrium, right ventricle,
left atrium and left ventricle. Angiography or angiogram
requires the insertion of a catheter, a thin tube into
a peripheral artery.
Coronary Angiography or Coronary Catheterization is
a minimally invasive procedure to access the coronary
flow and blood chambers of the heart using a catheter.
Coronary Catheterization was first introduced in 1950s.
Procedure
During Coronary Catheterization a patient's blood pressure
and X-Ray shadowgrams of the blood in the coronary arteries
are recorded. To record the X-Ray images, a cardiologist
guides a catheter through the large blood arteries till
the tip of the catheter reaches the opening of the coronary
arteries. Catheters are made with a high radiodensity
making it opaque to X-Rays allowing a clearer, blood
compatible X-Ray dye to be selectively injected and
mixed with the blood flowing in the artery. Without
the X-Ray dye, the blood and internal structure of the
heart is not clearly visible. The cardiologist activates
the equipment to apply cine, a higher X-Ray dose when
he/she is ready to record the diagnostic views. The
diagnostic views can be saved and studied later.
Length
Simple Coronary Angiography usually takes about half
an hour to complete.
Risks
The general risks of Coronary Angiography are
Bleeding
Infection
Pain at the IV site
Damage of the blood vessels by the soft plastic
catheters
Blood clots.
In cases of serious complications, the risks include
Low blood pressure
Stroke
Heart attack
Cardiac arrhythmias
Cardiac tamponade
Hemorrhage
Side Effects
Diabetic patients need to be careful as the contrast
material could cause damage to the kidneys.
Facilities at Apollo
Apollo Hospitals use CT Angiography or Coronary Computed
Tomography Angiography, as a non invasive method to
detect blockages in the coronary arteries. 64 slice
CT Angio system is used to detect dysfunctions like
narrowing of the coronary arteries, soft plaque and
fat.
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