Understanding The Lower Extremity Angiogram Procedure

A Personal Account of All the Details

Introduction

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD), also called peripheral artery disease (PAD), usually afflicts people over age fifty. PVD refers to any disease of the human circulatory system not involving the brain or heart. In the United States, approximately 10 million people suffer from PVD. This number is expected to increase as more people grow older. Men are more likely to develop PVD than are women. Atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty materials in the blood vessels, is the most common condition creating PVD. Primary causes of PVD are smoking, diabetes, and obesity. A person's legs, arms, and kidneys are the most common areas where PVD manifests itself with the legs being the most frequent place. When it has been determined that a patient has PVD, one of the medical tests to determine the severity of the PVD is called an angiogram, or angiography.

Considered an invasive diagnostic procedure, angiography is the most accurate test to determine the amount of atherosclerosis present in a person's arteries. The procedure is usually performed in the radiology department of a hospital. A small tube is inserted into the femoral artery, usually from the groin area. Contrast dye is injected through the tube. The dye outlines the artery and allows the narrowed areas of the artery to appear clearly on an x-ray. Certain risks associated with this procedure such as; hematoma at the puncture site, arterial wall ruptures, or reactions to the intravenous contrast material cause this procedure to be reserved for pre-operative evaluations only. If the atherosclerosis is not severe enough to require surgery, but is causing some artery blockage, an angioplasty procedure is performed at the time of the angiography procedure. In addition, stents may also be inserted into the partially blocked arteries during this procedure.