Angiogram, what is it?

You know how you hear of these tests and you don't know what they do: I had this last week:

Thought I would share this, you are awake no pain and you can watch the results. Technology and these tests are absolutely amazing. It took about half hour to prepare, 20 minutes to complete and they entered through my right arm. Small incision, they can also enter through the groin. They can actually apply stents if needed on the spot. Happy to report. My heart is working great. No stents needed.

This is what happens: (photo shows coronary angiogram)

An angiogram is an X-ray test that uses a special dye and camera (fluoroscopy) to take pictures of the blood flow in an artery (such as the aorta) or a vein (such as the vena cava). An angiogram can be used to look at the arteries or veins in the head, arms, legs, chest, back, or belly.

Common angiograms can look at the arteries near the heart (coronary angiogram),lungs (pulmonary angiogram), brain (cerebral angiogram), head and neck (carotid angiogram), legs or arms (peripheral), and the aorta (aortogram).

During an angiogram, a thin tube called a catheter is placed into a blood vessel in the groin (femoral artery or vein) or just above the elbow (brachial artery or vein). See a picture of catheter placement in the femoral vein

. The catheter is guided to the area to be studied. Then an iodine dye (contrast material) is injected into the vessel to make the area show clearly on the X-ray pictures. This method is known as conventional or catheter angiogram. The angiogram pictures can be made into regular X-ray films or stored as digital pictures in a computer.

An angiogram can find a bulge in a blood vessel (aneurysm). It can also show narrowing or a blockage in a blood vessel that affects blood flow. An angiogram can show if coronary artery disease is present and how bad it is.

A magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) or computed tomography angiogram(CTA) may be an option instead of an angiogram. Each of these tests is less invasive than a standard angiogram. Some MRA tests and all CTA tests require an injection of dye. A CTA also involves radiation exposure.
#iamstillawoman #angiogram #health #heart

Comments

"Hard nipples" - areola or nipple skin

Someone once wrote"... when i get really cold, or get goosebumbs all over my body, the whole things really scrunch up, like, my entire areola scrunches itself up into a wrinkled little mound. it looks really weird and ugly, and i haven't ever seen other people's breasts do it. what is wrong with my areola/nipples??" The answer: Well nothing is wrong. This is what my areola does too. It's a normal reaction to the coldness or to irritation / stimulation. The little muscles in the areola do a similar goosebump thing as your other skin can do. People often call this phenomenon "hard nipples". Also note that skin on areola has less feeling or sensation to it than other areas of your body. If the areola was very sensitive, then breastfeeding would probably be quite uncomfortable because the baby pulls and tugs it! The nipples are sensitive but the sensitivity changes with hormonal changes, such as occur at mestrual cycle or pregnancy. Also this v...

Mastectomy Drain Breast Cancer Treatment

The purpose of drains after mastectomy is to drain away the fluid that can gather in the armpit region or around the scar on the chest wall. Some people after mastectomy also find that fluid gathers around the shoulder blade area on their back - this seems more common if the muscle from the back has been used for breast reconstruction at the time the mastectomy was done. When mastectomy is done - and especially if the lymph nodes are removed from the axilla or armpit - then there is a lot of tissue fluid and lymph fluid left with no where to go. This fluid normally flows through the lymph channels but if they are cut then it can escape into the normal skin and muscle tissues. Your surgeon will place drains under your skin after mastectomy. These drains gather up the fluid and remove it to a bottle (or bottles) that you carry around with you. Some people use a belt clip to attach the drain to their waistband - making them more mobile. Others car...

Youngest Breast Cancer Survivor

No one is immune to Breast Cancer. A four-year-old Canadian Girl, Aleisha Hunter, is reported to be the youngest Breast Cancer survivor in the world. On that note, she is also the youngest woman to ever have a mastectomy. At the age of two, her mother found a lump in her daughter's breast and the doctors confirmed that it was a very rare form of breast cancer. According to the article, less than five percent of women will have to have invasive breast cancer surgery before the age of 40. Luckily, this type of cancer is very slow moving and slow growing. So, she was able to be treated without chemotherapy and harsh radiation that would have harmed her developing immune system. I hope that she continues to heal and will realize how strong and special she is one day when she is older. Aleisha, you are strong and a survivor of a disease that claims a number of lives daily. Women and men alike have been stricken by Breast Cancer, although they are usually much older....

I am still a woman - Confessions of a twice cancer survivor - my journey by Nina Ann McCurley

Search This Blog