Possible heart problem?

Question

Is there a test where they place a special solution into your veins, and they can tell if any of your heart veins or arterys are partially or fully blocked, what is this procedure called, is it something to do with nuclear medicine???????

Answer 1

yes, they use a dye that shows up on X-Rays that will basicly show where blood is flowing freely and where it is slow or clogged. It's called an Angiography.

Answer 2

An angiogram is simply an x-ray image of blood vessels after they are filled with a contrast material. A coronary angiogram is the "gold standard" for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD). A coronary angiogram can be used to identify the exact location and severity of CAD.
Coronary angiography is performed with the use of local anesthesia and intravenous sedation, and is generally not terribly uncomfortable. During a coronary angiogram, a small catheter (a thin hollow tube with a diameter of 2-3 mm) is inserted through the skin into an artery in either the groin or the arm. Guided with the assistance of a fluoroscope (a special x-ray viewing instrument), the catheter is then advanced to the opening of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart. Next, a small amount of radiographic contrast (a solution containing iodine, which is easily visualized with x-ray images) is injected into each coronary artery. The images that are produced are called the angiogram.
The procedure takes approximately 20-30 minutes. After the procedure, the catheter is removed and the artery in the leg or arm is either sutured, "sealed," or treated with manual compression to prevent bleeding.

My Mother had it done.. its quite a routine op these days.. but after care is much needed

Answer 3

An angiogram can be performed pretty easily now a days. They gop in thru your groin, thru a very small incision, go all the way up into your heart, They can tell how much is blocked, and how serious it is. Then they can perform angioplasty which is where they put a baloon in your heart to help open the vein or artery. If that doesnt work they can also put in a stent, which is basically a strow that helps keep it open. All of this can be done in a short time thru this tiny incision in your groin area. Not very intrusive anymore!

Answer 4

Atherectomy

What is atherectomy?

Atherectomy (ath"er-EK'to-me) is a procedure to remove plaque from arteries. Plaque is the buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances in an artery's inner lining.
Coronary atherectomy removes plaque from the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle. It uses a laser catheter, or a rotating shaver ("burr" device on the end of a catheter). The catheter is inserted into the body and advanced through an artery to the area of narrowing. Other devices are dissectional catheterectomy, catheters that shave off the plaque, or laser catheters that vaporize the plaque. Balloon angioplasty or stenting may be used after an atherectomy.

Persons with plaque buildups in the carotid (kah-ROT'id) arteries or major arteries of the neck are at higher risk for stroke. Carotid endarterectomy (end"ar-ter-EK'to-me) is an effective surgical procedure that can help them. It removes the plaque to reduce the risk of stroke.

The decision to use these procedures must be made by a physician.

Related AHA publications:

Answer 5

atherectomy- a half-hour surgical procedure that uses a catheter to unblock the offending artery. No wait...that's the solution...I'm still trying to remember the name of that procedure!! Argh!!

AHA!! I remebered!! Angioplasty!! That's what it is called!!

Answer 6

ummm yes it is an ummm I cant remember what its called...
they inject a dye into your veins and take scans of your body to see how the blood flows through your body...