Angiography is an imaging test that uses X-rays to view your body’s blood vessels. The X-rays provided by an angiography are called angiograms. This test is used to study narrow, blocked, enlarged, or malformed arteries or veins in many parts of your body, including your brain, heart, abdomen, and legs. A coronary angiogram is an X-ray of the arteries in the heart. This shows the extent and severity of any heart disease, and can help you to figure out how well your heart is working. With this information, you and your doctor can talk through your treatment options. These may include angioplasty (stents), bypass graft surgery or medications. To create the X-ray images, your doctor will inject a liquid dye through a thin, flexible tube, called a catheter. The doctor threads the catheter into the desired artery from an access point. The access point is usually in your arm but it can also be in your groin. The dye makes the blood flowing inside the blood vessels visible on an X-ray and shows any narrowed or blocked area in the blood vessel. The dye is later eliminated from your body through your kidneys and your urine. You can expect the test to last half an hour, although it can sometimes take longer.
