Interventional Neuroradiology at Alexian Brothers Neuroscience Institute

Diagnostic Angiography  

What is an angiogram?

If your doctor believes you may have a problem with a blood vessel supplying the face or brain, he or she may advise you to have an imaging procedure called a cerebral angiogram. An angiogram is an x-ray study to look at the blood vessels. Angiograms can look at different parts of the body – a study looking at the blood vessels supplying the brain is often called a cerebral angiogram, there are also spinal angiograms, renal angiograms, coronary angiograms, etc. A diagnostic angiogram means that the study simply looks at the blood vessels to help recognize, define and assess the problem (and how to best manage it). A therapeutic angiogram or intervention means that in addition to looking at the problem, the procedure will also attempt to fix it. Common examples of therapeutic angiograms are balloon angioplasty to open a blockage, or embolization to block off blood flow in an abnormality such as an aneurysm.

What can I expect the day of my procedure?

Prior to your procedure your doctor will review the procedure with you, and check your blood tests to make sure the procedure is safe for you. Your doctor will ask that you not eat or drink anything the night before the study. Please make sure you tell your doctor of any medications you may be taking – you may be asked to hold some medications before the exam.

After you check in to registration, you will change in to a hospital gown for the procedure, and any last questions you have will be answered by the physician. During the procedure, you may be wide awake, mildly sedated with medications, or under general anesthesia. You will also receive a local anesthetic prior to inserting a long thin tube, called a catheter, into the artery at the top of your leg near the groin. The catheter is then threaded up to the vessels in the neck where contrast dye is injected. The contrast dye commonly makes people feel flushed for a few seconds. The entire procedure may take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on what is being done.

After the procedure, the doctor will talk to you about the results of your test. You will be asked to lie flat in bed for several hours in our recovery room. After you go home, you may have some soreness where the catheter was inserted for a few days. We recommend that you avoid any heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for at least 3 days.