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Coronary angiography
Make it clearer
A coronary angiogram is the test used to look inside the coronary arteries, the arteries of the heart. A catheter, a thin flexible tube, is threaded in and delivers contrast into the bloodstream, a liquid that X-rays can actually pick up. With the contrast flowing through them, the X-ray image reveals the full path of those vessels.
It's a lot like pouring ink into a pipe so you can trace its route from the outside. Because the picture outlines the inside of the vessel and not just its outer bulk, it can show the spot where the channel narrows or where it is blocked.
In brief
During coronary angiography, a catheter delivers contrast into the bloodstream, and X-rays show the path of the coronary arteries.
Because the contrast outlines the inside of those vessels, the images can reveal areas of narrowing or blockage.
Sources (2)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteHeart Tests: Coronary Angiography
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteCardiac Catheterization: During the Procedure
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated