Coronary angiography is performed in a cath lab where a wire is threaded up from either the radial or femoral artery to the aorta. Then a catheter is threaded up over the wire. Contrast dye is then injected through the catheter and down the coronary arteries. X-ray images are taken like a video to show the flow of dye through the vessels. The resulting images help diagnose and evaluate the severity of coronary artery disease, blockages, and other heart-related conditions.
Key Terms
Left Heart Catheterization
RAO
Right anterior oblique
LAO
Left anterior oblique
PCI
Percutaneous coronary intervention
Stent
A wire mesh tube used to prop open an artery during angioplasty
DES
Drug-eluting stent
Angioplasty
A procedure to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to the heart
Coronary artery bypass grafting
A surgical procedure to restore normal blood flow to an obstructed coronary artery