Why cerebral angiogram

Your Recovery A brain angiogram cerebral angiogram is a test also called a procedure that looks for problems with blood vessels and blood flow in the brain. How can you care for yourself at home? Do not do strenuous exercise and do not lift, pull, or push anything heavy until your doctor says it is okay.

This may be for a day or two. You can walk around the house and do light activity, such as cooking. If the catheter was placed in your groin, try not to walk up stairs for the first couple of days.

If the catheter was placed in your arm near your wrist, do not bend your wrist deeply for the first couple of days. Be careful using your hand to get into and out of a chair or bed. If your doctor recommends it, get more exercise. Walking is a good choice. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk every day. Drink plenty of fluids to help your body flush out the dye.

If you have kidney, heart, or liver disease and have to limit fluids, talk with your doctor before you increase the amount of fluids you drink. Keep eating a heart-healthy diet that has lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

If you need help with your diet, talk to your doctor. You also may want to talk to a dietitian. This expert can help you to learn about healthy foods and plan meals. Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. He or she will also give you instructions about taking any new medicines.

If you take aspirin or some other blood thinner, ask your doctor if and when to start taking it again. Make sure that you understand exactly what your doctor wants you to do. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label. If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed. If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.

For example, call if: You passed out lost consciousness. Cerebral Angiogram is a method of evaluating the blood vessels in the head and neck. It uses digital subtraction angiography technique which requires x-rays to capture images of body structures with and without contrast injection. Cerebral angiogram is a catheter-based procedure, usually done through the femoral artery in the groin.

Although it is slightly invasive, it remains the gold-standard imaging modality for assessing certain conditions, particularly neurovascular conditions, such as aneurysms, brain AVMs, dural arteriovenous fistulas and carotid-cavernous fistulas. The main advantage is that it gives real-time, clear, high-resolution images, similar to a movie, of how blood travels throughout the brain. There are many reasons for performing cerebral angiogram, but the main indications are for evaluation and treatment planning of:.

The patient usually remains awake with sedation during this procedure with local anaesthesia administered into the groin. The catheter a plastic angled tube is carefully maneouvered through the aorta and into the desired neck arteries carotid and vertebral arteries. Once the catheter is positioned, the patient is asked to hold their breaths while contrast dye is injected.

Angiography produces a video or sequence of pictures as the dye moves through the blood vessels in the brain. Hence, it is important for patients to remain still for seconds while the pictures are being taken from each injection.

Cerebral angiography takes about minutes to complete, after which the catheter is removed. X-rays are taken once the contrast is injected. After the angiogram is completed, the catheter is removed and the puncture site closed. The incision site can be closed either by manual compression or by using a special closure device. You will have to lie flat for hours after angiography, depending on the reason for the test, the catheter size, and the type of device used to close up the artery.

During this time, you should inform the nurse if you notice any bleeding, bruising, swelling or pain at the site where the catheter entered the skin.

The entire procedure may take between one hour to several hours long. Cerebral angiography is a very detailed, clear and accurate picture of the blood vessels in the brain.

This is especially helpful when a surgical procedure or a neuroradiologic intervention is being considered. By selecting the arteries using a catheter, it allows physicians to assess only the blood vessels.

Unlike computed tomography CT or magnetic resonance imaging MR angiography, the use of a catheter makes it possible to combine diagnosis and treatment into one procedure.

An example is finding an area of severe arterial narrowing, followed by angiography and placement of a stent. The degree of detail displayed by catheter angiography cannot be obtained with any other noninvasive procedure.

Some patients can have an unusual allergic reaction to the contrast. Reactions range from mild skin irritation, itching, a drop in blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and loss of consciousness or death. You should tell your doctor of a previous allergy prior to this test. There is a very tiny risk that blood will form a clot around the tip of the catheter, blocking the artery and causing a stroke.