Q. What is the relationship between angiography and coronary Angiography?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Angiography and coronary angiography are two different medical imaging techniques used to view the vascular structures in the human body. In an angiogram, a dye is injected into a blood vessel, allowing X-rays to be taken of that area. Coronary angiography involves using a catheter to inject contrast material into the heart's blood vessels so they can be viewed on X-ray.
The primary difference between these two procedures is the area of focus for each one. Angiography focuses on viewing the entire vascular system including arteries, veins, and capillaries throughout the body. Coronary heart disease is often related to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries supplying oxygenated blood to parts of your heart muscle; therefore coronary angiography concentrates on just these vessels around your heart for visualization purposes and any potential obstructions of normal flow patterns in them specifically.
In general terms, an angiogram gives doctors an overview look at all major pathways through which life-sustaining fluids may pass whereas coronary angiograms will hone in on just one specific organ - your heart - with greater detail than offered by other vascular imaging techniques such as CT scanning or MRI’s. Being able to precisely define narrowing or blockage within blood vessels supplying vital organs like those found within our circulatory system could decide whether treatments like bypass surgery or stent placement must take place and thus saving lives as well!