Is it painful to have an angiogram? How to do angiography

Angiography is a relatively advanced examination method. Angiography can detect lesions that cannot be detected by X-rays, which greatly facilitates the diagnosis of various diseases. But it should be noted that angiography is a invasive examination, so you must be well prepared before doing it. Usually before performing angiography, doctors will inform patients of some precautions, such as not being able to eat before the operation and doing some routine examinations. Some people asked whether angiography is painful. In fact, anesthesia is required before angiography, so the patient usually does not feel anything.

Angiography is an interventional test in which contrast dye is injected into the blood vessels. Because X-rays cannot penetrate contrast agents, angiography uses this property to diagnose vascular diseases through the images displayed by the contrast agents under X-rays.

Angiography is an auxiliary examination technology. In the era of advanced technology today, angiography is widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of various clinical diseases. It helps doctors detect the disease in time, control the progression of the disease, and effectively improve the survival rate of patients. Angiography is an interventional detection method in which contrast agent is injected into the blood vessels. Because X-rays cannot penetrate contrast agent, angiography can accurately reflect the location and extent of vascular lesions. However, angiography is also an invasive test and has many allergic reactions:

1. Allergic reactions: including itching, urticaria, angioedema, bronchospasm, hypotension and syncope, the most common of which is urticaria. Most of these reactions are self-limited and respond rapidly to adrenergic and antihistamine medications, but the potential for fatality should not be ignored.

2. Allergic reaction: It is an allergic reaction that occurs 1 to 3 days after the injection of contrast agent, mainly manifested as skin itching and urticaria.

Angiography utilizes this property to diagnose vascular diseases through the images displayed by the contrast agent under X-rays.

The most commonly used angiographic contrast agent is iodine. In rare cases where there are contraindications to the use of iodine, carbon dioxide is used as a contrast agent.

Things to know before angiography:

1. Explain the purpose of angiography and possible complications and accidents to the patient and his family, and sign an angiography agreement;

2. Routine preoperative examinations: including blood and urine routine tests, bleeding and coagulation time, liver and kidney function, electrocardiogram and chest X-ray.

3. Do not eat or drink for 8 hours before surgery. In special circumstances, such as emergency, this time period can be shortened at the discretion of the anesthesiologist.

4. Iodine allergy test: 1 ml of contrast agent to be used for imaging is injected intravenously. If there are no allergic signs such as palpitations, shortness of breath, urticaria and conjunctival congestion, and the blood pressure pulse measured before and after the injection is lower than 10-20 mmHg, it is negative. Contrast examination is prohibited if the iodine allergy test is positive.

5. Prepare the skin of both sides of the groin and perineum. Patients who need a long operation time should have a urinary catheter.

6. Inject phenobarbital intramuscularly 30 minutes before surgery.

7. Administer calcium channel blockers intravenously and continuously for 24 hours before surgery as appropriate.