Angiography is a time-tested way to study the health of veins and arteries. Though often associated with the heart, it can be used throughout the body to determine whether blood vessels are blocked, damaged, or malformed.

Traditional angiography, also known as X-ray or catheter angiography, is an minimally invasive procedure during which a small tube is threaded through the body to the area being studied. The tube is used to inject a special dye that highlights the blood vessels and makes them easier to see on the scanned images.

With CT angiography, no tube is necessary, and the dye can be placed with a simple injection in the arm. CTA uses a CT scanner (sometimes called a CAT scan) to create the images of blood vessels. Because there is no need to thread the catheter through the body, a CTA is less time consuming and causes less discomfort than traditional angiography. A CT scanner uses a thin X-ray beam and advanced computer analysis to create highly detailed images.

While traditional angiography must be used for various treatment options (such as the placement of stents or angioplasty) the diagnostic role of angiography is increasingly being done using the noninvasive procedure of CT angiography.

CT angiograms are performed for the following reasons:

• To detect aneurysms (places where a blood vessel has begun to bulge or balloon out)
  
• To determine whether any blood vessels have become torn
  
• To examine the buildup of plaque or other blockages in blood vessels
  
• To determine the level or degree of artery disease, particularly of the blood vessels around the heart
  
• To investigate problems in the brain, such as stroke or cerebral bleeding
  
• To identify problems in the way blood is flowing, such as circulatory problems in the legs
  
• To examine any malformations of the blood vessels
  
• To evaluate the coronary veins before the placement of a pacemaker
  
• To check on the effectiveness of an earlier angioplasty or stent procedure
  
• To evaluate the results of a bypass surgery
  
• Angiograms are also sometimes used by surgeons to plan an operation or to choose the best surgical procedure

We have prepared an information sheet which describes the steps you will go through if you come to the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center for a CT Angiography.

You can read or print this page here (pdf*).

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