Coronary Arteriography

Coronary Arteriography

Coronary Arteriography is an advanced technique of imaging, employed to obtain detailed information on the heart and its function. This procedure involves the insertion of catheters into the patient’s blood vessels. At this time, there are other methods of investigating the processes of the organism that do not require insertion of foreign objects into the body – non-invasive methods such as x-ray imaging, ultrasound scanning, magnetic field or radio-isotope imaging. However, due to the fact that the heart is always moving, none of the above techniques are able to produce accurate images of the smaller structures – as the coronary arteries are. Coronary Arteriography allows visualization of these structures on a fairly detailed level; the main objective of this procedure is the imaging of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that carry the oxygen supply to the heart.

The coronary arteries may narrow or may be blocked; in such situations, coronary heart disease occurs, often accompanied by anginal pain. For patients that have only recently begun experiencing anginal pain or if the pain is worsening, and for patients whose anginal pain fails to respond to treatment, certain types of surgery may be considered – coronary artery bypass surgery for example, or angioplasty. Coronary Arteriography is employed in such cases to determine whether such procedures are possible or not. Also, the procedure needs to be repeated if the pain returns after surgery has been performed. Life threat assessment is also possible through this procedure in the case of young patients suffering from angina. In some situations, the physician may direct this procedure in order to rule out or confirm a diagnosis, or to examine the heart valves; however, heart valve assessment may be performed through conventional non-invasive methods as well, so coronary catheterization is not always required – although the images offered by this procedure are more detailed and accurate than those obtained through other imaging techniques. For patients with scheduled heart valve surgery, this procedure may be necessary to provide the health care specialists with as much information as possible. Coronary catheterization is also typically employed in the case of patients suffering from congenital cardiac disease.

Coronary Arteriography Description

The Coronary Arteriography procedure is performed in a hospital or a clinic. The procedure takes less than one day to complete, and the patient is free to go home for the night. No food must be ingested for 6 hours prior to the catheterization procedure, and the patient’s elbow or groin skin may need to be shaved in order to prepare for the insertion. Also, medication may be given prior to the procedure in order to reduce anxiety.

The Coronary Arteriography procedure is performed in a special laboratory, which is usually found in the hospital’s x-ray department. The patient needs to lie down under the x-ray machine for roughly half an hour; at all times there will be at least one other health care professional in the same room with the patient, talking to him or her and monitoring their state. Local anesthetics are administered prior to catheterization; then the catheters (tubes with a diameter of a few millimeters) are inserted into the pre-determined site, either the elbow or the groin. This operation may only be performed by a health care professional specialized in heart and circulatory problems.

The catheters advance painlessly through the blood vessels until they reach the patient’s heart, while x-ray images are taken in order to monitor the progress of the procedure. Blood pressure is checked regularly and the physician also takes blood samples from the heart chambers. A medium contrast dye is pumped through the catheters into the bloodstream, allowing for better visualization on the x-ray images; the contrast dye will later on be eliminated through the kidneys. Currently, the x-ray images are taken either with cine x-ray film technology, or through digital imaging technology. The resulting angiograms (arteriograms) will be viewed by the health care professional later on in a coherent succession in order to better observe the progress of the procedure. Once the catheters are in place, the full cardiac structure can be observed on the x-ray photographs. The Coronary Arteriography procedure is then complete and the catheters may be removed.

Coronary Arteriography Related Medication

This chapter is aimed at familiarizing you with the most common pharmaceutical products employed during the Coronary Arteriography procedure. The information included here may not be complete, as this is not intended to be an extensive informational leaflet on these particular products; rather, it is available for informational purposes only. If you would like to obtain more in-depth information regarding any of the pharmaceutical products included in this section or other similar substances, it is strongly recommended that you consult a specialized health care professional, such as a pharmacist or a doctor.

During Coronary Arteriography, the main pharmaceutical products used are contrast agents. Among these, the most commonly encountered substance is Ioversol, a pharmaceutical preparation based on Iodine which is an excellent radiopaque agent due to its ability to absorb x-rays. The contrast agents are used in order to allow blood vessels and certain tissues to appear on the x-ray pictures along with bone tissues clearly. Also, it should be noted that there are several contraindications associated with this product, as well as with any other Iodine-based preparations. To give a few examples of such contraindications, Iodine based contrast agents may not be administered to individuals that are allergic to Iodine or any of its derivatives, to patients suffering from infections or to patients with asthma.

It should be noted that patients that are scheduled to undergo Coronary Arteriography assisted with Iodine-based contrast agents should consume extra quantities of liquids both before and after the procedure, in order to avoid dehydration – a medical condition that may have a severe impact on the patients’ kidneys. For more information regarding the liquid quantities that need to be consumed both before and after the procedure, it is strongly advised that you check with your supervising health care professional.

Ioversol and any other contrast agents will be administered to the patient during the Coronary Arteriography, in the dosage prescribed by the supervising health care professional and following the administration directions. Also, the doctor will decide upon the medicine that needs to employ and the method of administration. The radiopaque agent may only be administered in a clinic or a hospital by a specialized health care professional.