What are some common uses of the procedure?

What are some common uses of the procedure?

Catheter angiography is used to examine blood vessels in key areas of the body, including the:

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• brain
• abdomen (such as the kidneys and liver)
• pelvis
• legs
• lungs
• heart
• neck

Physicians use the procedure to:

• identify abnormalities, such as aneurysms, in the aorta, both in the chest and abdomen, or in other arteries.
• detect atherosclerosis disease in the carotid artery of the neck, which may limit blood flow to the brain and cause a stroke.
• identify a small aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation inside the brain.
• detect atherosclerotic disease that has narrowed the arteries to the legs and help prepare for endovascular intervention or surgery.
• detect disease in the arteries to the kidneys or visualize blood flow to help prepare for a kidney transplant.
• guide interventional radiologists and surgeons making repairs to diseased blood vessels, such as implanting stents or evaluating a stent after implantation.
• detect injury to one or more arteries in the neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis or extremities in trauma patients.
• evaluate arteries feeding a tumor prior to surgery or other procedures such as chemoembolization or selective internal radiation therapy.
• identify dissection or splitting in the aorta in the chest or abdomen or its major branches.
• show the extent and severity of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries and plan for a surgical operation, such as a coronary bypass and stenting.
• sample blood from specific veins in the body to detect any endocrine disease.
• examine pulmonary arteries in the lungs to detect pulmonary embolism (blood clots from leg veins).
• look at congenital abnormalities in blood vessels, especially arteries in children (e.g., malformations in the heart due to birth defects).
• evaluate obstructions of vessels (e.g., blood clots in the lungs).