What is coronography or Heart Angiogram?
A Coronarography or Heart Angiogram is a special heart test to assess heart arteries during the X-ray. Arteries are usually not visible on X-ray images. To see them, a special fluid is injected – called a radio opaque contrast.
A coronary angiogram is used most commonly in the diagnosis of coronary heart disease, rarely in other diseases. A Coronarography is performed not only in order to make a proper diagnosis, but mainly in order to plan surgical treatment: angioplasty or bypass. The procedure is associated with up to 12 hours stay and observation in the hospital. The cost of such procedure in eastern Europe, Turkey including hospitalization, medications and consumables around 1200 USD. A price for angiography may vary depending on the type of the room used for hospitalization as well as the region. Price of angiography at Heart Institute, Kiyv Ukraine – 985 EUR.
What result to expect from angiography?
Angiography will show how many of your coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed by fatty plaques (atherosclerosis), will pinpoint where blockages are located in your blood vessels), will show how much blood flow is blocked through your blood vessels), will help to check the results of previous coronary bypass surgery), will help to check the blood flow through your heart and blood vessels)
Who will need angiography?
An aniography or coronary angiogram is a procedure that uses X-ray imaging to see your heart’s blood vessels. The test is generally done to see if there’s a restriction in blood flow going to the heart.
Patients with following symptoms may require angiography:
- Symptoms of coronary artery disease, such as chest pain (angina)
- A heart defect you were born with (congenital heart disease)
- Pain in your chest, jaw, neck or arm that can’t be explained by other tests
- A heart valve problem that requires surgery
- New or increasing chest pain (unstable angina)
- Abnormal results on a noninvasive heart stress test
- Other blood vessel problems or a chest injury