special subjects
Angiography
Uses of Angiography
CTA and MRA are often done instead of conventional angiography. However, conventional angiography is the traditional gold standard for evaluating vascular lesions (eg, stenosis, obstruction, arteriovenous or other vascular malformations, aneurysms, dissections, vasculitis). Conventional angiography is usually done before therapeutic angiographic procedures such as angioplasty, vascular stenting, and embolization of tumors and vascular malformations. Common uses of conventional angiography include the following: is usually done before percutaneous or surgical interventions involving the coronary arteries or heart valves. It is usually done with Cardiac Catheterization . Cerebral angiographymay be indicated after stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)—eg, if stenting or carotid endarterectomy is being considered. Iliac and femoral angiographymay be indicated before interventions to treat peripheral arterial disease. Aortographyis sometimes done to diagnose and provide anatomic detail about aortic aneurysms, aortic dissection, and aortic regurgitation. Angiography of the eye arteriescan be done usingfluoresceindye. Conventional pulmonary angiographyused to be the gold standard for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism; now, it has largely been replaced by CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA), which is less invasive. 