Angiography is a medical imaging technique that is used to view the veins and arteries of the body while they are functioning to look for blockages, flow disturbances, and other problems. It is used to diagnose peripheral artery disease, atherosclerosis (plaque build up), thrombosis (blood clots), stroke, and many other vessel disorders.
"Angiography" comes from the Greek words angeion, "vessel", and graphein, "to write or record". The resulting pictures are called angiograms or an angiographs.
To perform angiography, a long flexible catheter is inserted into one of the major arteries in the arm or groin, then advanced to the area of interest. Once the end of the catheter is in position, an x-ray contrast agent is released. Images are taken at two to three frames per second, then these images can be viewed in sequence so that blood flow can be analyzed.
Angiography is a catheter-based procedure that our doctors perform at our freestanding facility in Dayton, Ohio. The procedure takes about an hour and requires no overnight stay.