Angiograms are just pictures of the inside of arteries. A small tube, or catheter, is fed from an artery in a leg or arm back up into the heart: Dye that shows up on X ray is released into the openings of the coronary arteries, and as it fills the arterial system the progress is watched by the cardiologist. The circulation of the heart can be seen in minute detail.
Coronary angiography can pinpoint the sites of narrowing of the coronary arteries, and can suggest areas suitable for bypass surgery. When the results are assessed together with echocardiography, a thal-lium-201 (or other radioisotope) scan, and PET, a complete picture of the problems of the heart is given. On the basis of that picture, the next step—treatment—will be decided.
These tests sound frightening, but they are not as bad as they seem, and the coronary unit staff will do their best to put you at your ease at every stage. These tests are important, and a full assessment of your particular problem cannot be made without them; so if you are offered them, please accept. They will help your doctors to make the best possible judgment about what is best for you. If you are a woman and are not offered these tests, you might inquire why.
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