If your physician suspects you have a blockage in the coronary arteries that feed your heart muscle, a coronary angiogram or arteriogram may be suggested. These are tests performed by a cardiologist, a heart specialist.
For these tests, a catheter (a small tube) is inserted into an artery in your groin or arm and guided, with the assistance of a special X-ray machine, to your heart. There it is placed into each of the main coronary arteries, and dye is injected. This dye shows the location and size of any blockage in the artery. During this test, the cardiologist may inject the dye into the chambers of your heart to see how well the heart “pumps.”
Cardiac catheterization is useful in studying various heart and vascular conditions, such as congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease or peripheral vascular disease. These tests can help your physician determine if you need a heart or vascular treatment, such as stenting, angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
Heart and vascular specialists
The experienced heart and vascular specialists at Houston Heart are experts at diagnosing and treating heart and vascular conditions.
To learn more, schedule an appointment.