Sunday 1 July 2012

The angiography procedure


The angiography procedure

An angiography is carried out in hospital. It takes between 30 minutes and two hours, depending on the complexity of the investigation. You will usually be allowed to go home on the same day, although in some cases you may need to stay in hospital overnight.
In most cases, angiographies are planned procedures that are performed under local anaesthetic. However, general anaesthetic may be used if young children need to have the procedure.
A catheter (a very thin, flexible tube) is inserted through a small cut and into one of your arteries, usually in your groin or your leg. A radiologist (a doctor who specialises in imaging studies) will guide the catheter into the area that needs to be examined. The dye (medically known as a contrast dye or contrast medium) is injected through the catheter and into the blood vessel. A series of X-rays is then taken.

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