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The Advantages of Angiography

Angiography is an imaging technology used in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions involving blood vessels. Angiography is used with x-rays, computed tomography or CT and magnetic resonance imaging or MRIs. These are regularly employed to diagnose or treat conditions involving areas of the body such as the abdomen, brain, heart, kidneys, legs, lungs, neck and pelvis.

  1. Safety

    • CT angiography is minimally invasive compared to catheter angiography which involves inserting a catheter and injecting dye into a large artery or vein. Thus CT angiography has fewer risks of hematoma, damage to blood vessels, embolism or allergic reactions to dye. Also there is no radiation risk associated with MR angiography.

    Comfort

    • Newer angiography techniques are much more comfortable for the patient than other and older methods. For CT angiography, the patient experiences less discomfort than traditional angiography because contrast dye is injected into an arm vein rather than a larger artery in the groin via a catheter. The patient typically experiences no pain other than the pinprick sensation associated with inserting a needle into a vein which is momentary.

    Side Effects

    • With newer methods of angiography, patients typically experience no side effects following the procedure and have minimal or no pre-test restrictions. The test itself takes little time and is cost efficient compared to more invasive techniques. Most patients prefer the new methods of angiography to older ones such as the conventional angiography. The newer angiography procedures are done in one hour or less and can be conducted on an outpatient basis.

    Diagnosis

    • With angiography, diagnoses of different conditions can be made without more invasive procedures or surgeries -- in many cases, eliminating risks, pain and higher costs. With angiography, physicians can diagnose damage to blood vessels, aneurysms, various heart and vascular diseases or conditions and prevent adverse cardiac events or death. Newer methods of angiography such as MR angiography yield even more sophisticated and sensitive results, meaning earlier diagnosis and treatment of potentially life-threatening conditions.

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