Pulmonary angiography

Selective pulmonary angiogram revealing significant thrombus (labelled A) causing a central obstruction in the left main pulmonary artery

Pulmonary angiography (or pulmonary arteriography) is a cardiological medicalprocedure. Pulmonary blood vessels are x-rayed to detect arteriovenous malformations.

Direct angiography is the injection of radiocontrast into the circulation with subsequentfluoroscopy (direct X-ray visualisation) of the lungs. A more common form of direct angiography, is the catheterisation of the right atrium of the heart and injection of radiocontrast into the right heart.

A popular form of pulmonary angiography is computed tomography pulmonary angiography(CTPA). This involves venous contrast only.

Invasive pulmonary angiography was first performed in 1931 by Egas Moniz and colleagues.^[1] Robb and Steinberg described pulmonary angiography by infusion of peripheral radiocontrast.^[2][3]