Coronary angiogram

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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

A coronary angiogram is a procedure that uses X-ray imaging to see the inside of your heart's blood vessels. Coronary angiograms are part of a general group of procedures known as cardiac catheterization.

Catheterization refers to any procedure in which a long, thin, flexible plastic tube (catheter) is inserted into your body. Heart catheter procedures can both diagnose and treat heart and blood vessel conditions. A coronary angiogram, which can help diagnose heart conditions, is the most common type of heart catheter procedure.

During a coronary angiogram, a type of dye that's visible by X-ray machine is injected into the blood vessels of your heart. The X-ray machine rapidly takes a series of images (angiograms), offering a detailed look at the inside of your blood vessels. If necessary, your doctor can perform procedures such as angioplasty during your coronary angiogram.

Why it's done
References
  1. Eastwood J. Nurse's role in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. In: Moser DK, et al. Cardiac Nursing: A companion to Braunwald's heart disease. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:339.
  2. Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. About your heart-catheter procedures. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2005.
  3. Angiogram. Society for Vascular Surgery. http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Angiogram.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
  4. Cardiac catheterization. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cath/cath_all.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
  5. Coronary angiography. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ca/ca_all.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
  6. Kern MJ, et al. Physiological Assessment of Coronary Artery Disease in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. Circulation. 2006;114:1321.

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Feb. 21, 2009

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