Pediatric Angiocardiography

Pediatric Angiocardiography

Pediatric Angiocardiography is a common diagnostic medical procedure that allows the medical professional to closely examine the patient's (child's) heart and the blood vessels that are associated to it by employing x-rays; in order for the physician to get a clear view of these structures, the patient will be administered a radiopaque medical substance (through an injection). The results of this type of medical evaluation come in the form of a pediatric angiocardiogram.

Through this type of diagnostic medical test, the pediatrician will have clear pictures of the patient's (child's) heart chambers and of the blood vessels that are linked to this very important organ. A special form of Pediatric Angiocardiography (commonly referred to as Cine-angiocardiography) is considered indispensable in this medical field (pediatric cardiology). Studies have shown that this type of medical procedure is extremely beneficial in the correct evaluation of ARVD (arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, a common heart medical condition), as it is able to yield very important and accurate information about the motion abnormalities of the heart walls.

This type of clinical evaluation procedure is considered a complementary diagnostic technique to other investigations to which a patient is commonly subjected to (such as MRI, nuclear medicine studies, echocardiography, ECG, and so on). The results of a Pediatric Angiocardiography must include several physiological studies of great importance for the analyzing medical professional: measurements of the patient's oxygen saturation, blood pressure recordings, etc.

Through this type of medical procedure, the physician will gather a set of very important clinical information, among which: the status of the child's coronary vessels (arteries) which is very important in the case of children who have been diagnosed with the presence of ischemic heart disorder, assessment of the individual's ventricular function, the accurate measurement of the heart chamber volumes, the presence of any abnormalities of the great vessels, etc. The function of the child's cardiac valves and also the presence of any type of congenital heart lesion can be determined through such a clinical evaluation. In numerous cases, this medical procedure is employed in order to enable the physician to determine whether the patient is to undergo a heart surgical procedure or not.

Pediatric Angiocardiography Description

There are several types of Pediatric Angiocardiography. For example, a medical examination known as ventricular angiography is generally applied with the help of a pigtail catheter, while another type of angiocardiographic medical diagnostic procedure (coronary angiography) uses a special type of precurved coronary tube (catheter). Due to the development of modern, effective X-ray contrast agents and to the fact that the technique of Pediatric Angiocardiography has improved in the past years, nowadays, the risks that this medical procedure generally involves are quite small. The most severe complications that may affect a child who undergoes this type of cardiac evaluation routine include: ventricular fibrillation (cardiac arrhythmias), pulmonary edema, dissection of the coronary artery, asystole, heart block, acute thrombosis of the child's coronary vessel (artery), etc.

The administration of x-ray contrast agents (radiopaque substances) seems to trigger fewer and less severe complications than the administration of nonionic substances. Studies have shown that the mortality rate associated with the undergoing of this type of medical procedure is approximately 0.1%. The radiopaque agent (a fluid) is generally administered to a patient through an intravenous (IV) injection. The catheter (a very thin tube made of plastic) is inserted into an artery of the patient's arm, and it is then directed through the artery around the child's shoulder, until it reaches the chest and then the aorta (the most important and the largest artery of the human organism). The catheter will eventually reach the heart chamber and through it, a medical professional will be able to inject the contrast dye. The contrast agent employed during Pediatric Angiocardiography can be seen (through the use of x-rays) flowing through the heart vessel; it can easily flow through the healthy parts of the blood vessels, but its trajectory narrows or completely pinches off where the lumen of the blood vessels become obstructed due to the presence of lesions or that of fatty deposits (this symptom is associated to the presence of atherosclerosis).

Pediatric Angiocardiography Related Medication

In the last chapter of our medical article we will focus on presenting you some of the contrast agents that are most commonly employed in the case of children who undergo this type of cardiac diagnosis medical procedure. The most popular contrast dyes that are used during a Pediatric Angiocardiography belong to the class of non-ionic iodinated contrast media (therefore, they are iodinated contrast agents). The generic pharmaceutical name for these products is Ioversol; Optiray is the most widely spread medication of this type; it can be purchased as Optiray 160, Optiray 240, Optiray 300, Optiray 320, Optiray 350.

Like most other radiopaque contrast agents that contain iodine, this medical substance can be employed either during a Pediatric Angiocardiography, during a CT (computed tomography) scan, and so on. As with most other contrast dyes, the administration of this substance is associated with certain contra-indications. For example, patients who are suffering from an active infectious medical condition should not be given this type of medical substance. It is very important to consume extra amounts of fluids both before and after you are administered this contrast dye, in order to avoid becoming dehydrated (such a medical condition can severely affect the patient's kidneys).

Some patients who had been administered ioversol as part of a Pediatric Angiocardiography examination experienced a set of adverse manifestations; the most common side effects that have been reported included: severe muscle weakness, severe muscle pain, sudden weakness and / or numbness, breathing difficulties, easy bruising, slow or fast heartbeat, wheezing, swelling (that can affect the patient's feet, ankles or hands), convulsions (seizures), nausea, headache, and so on. The list of adverse manifestations that we have presented you here is far from being complete. You will surely obtain more detailed information if you consult this matter with a professional pediatrician. A nurse and even a pharmacist can provide you with further medical data about the medical products that are commonly related to / associated with Pediatric Angiocardiography.