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The Miracle of Vascular Imaging: Do You Know What Angiography is?
Angiography is a medical imaging technology mainly used to visualize blood vessels and organs inside the body, especially arteries, veins and ventricles. The development of this technology has greatly improved doctors' understanding of blood vessel conditions and helped diagnose a variety of diseases. This technique usually involves injecting an opaque developer into the blood vessels and taking images using technology such as X-rays, which allows doctors to clearly see the condition of the blood vessels in the images.
The development of modern angiography technology has made medical examinations more accurate and safer.
Historical evolution
The origins of angiography date back to 1927, when Portuguese physician and neuroscientist Egas Moniz pioneered the technique at the University of Lisbon, initially using contrast media to perform X-rays of blood vessels in the brain. The first cerebral angiography performed by Moniz allowed doctors to effectively diagnose a variety of neurological diseases including tumors, arterial disease, and arteriovenous malformations. He is considered a pioneer in the field of angiography.
In 1927, Egas Moniz performed the first cerebral angiography, ushering in a new era of vascular imaging technology.
Technical Overview
The exact procedure for angiography varies depending on the type of exam. Typically, the doctor will enter the body through the femoral artery, jugular vein, or other blood vessel and use a catheter and wires to inject the contrast agent into the blood vessel. This developer absorbs X-rays and forms a visible image. Through digital subtraction angiography (DSA) technology, only the blood vessels filled with contrast agent are displayed, and many other tissues and bones are removed, allowing doctors to clearly see the blood flow.
Digital subtraction technology can greatly improve the clarity of images, making it easier for doctors to detect stenosis or obstruction in blood vessels.
Applications of angiography
Angiography has a variety of clinical applications, the most common of which include coronary angiography, cerebral angiography, and pulmonary angiography. These tests can help doctors assess the health of blood vessels and detect problems such as narrowed arteries or blood clots. In a coronary angiogram, a doctor introduces a catheter into a blood vessel, injects a contrast agent, and uses X-rays to take pictures of the blood vessels around the heart to determine whether there is a blockage. Typically during this procedure, doctors use both balloon dilation and stent placement techniques to treat the lesion.
Other application areas
Angiography of internal organs such as the colon and liver is also frequently used to evaluate the cause of bleeding. In addition, microangiography is specifically used to observe tiny blood vessels, while optical coherence tomography angiography is mainly used in ophthalmology to examine the microvascular health of the retina through near-infrared light technology.
Potential complications
Although angiography is a relatively safe test, there are still some potential complications. Common reactions include pain or bruising at the injection site, while rarer but serious complications such as stroke and allergic reactions require special attention. Through a prior CT scan, doctors can better assess the patient's condition, thereby reducing the risk of complications during angiography.
Although complications are relatively rare, the safety of angiography needs to be carefully evaluated before each exam.
Conclusion
Advances in angiography technology allow doctors to more effectively diagnose and treat various cardiovascular diseases. With the support of this technology, many patients have been able to improve their quality of life. This makes us wonder, with the advancement of medical technology, can our health be more comprehensively protected?
