India - Ideal Destination for Affordable Coronary Angiography Test

by Rachel Smith India Cardiac Surgery Site Consultants Pvt. Ltd.

Overview

Angiography is an imaging test that uses X-rays to view blood vessels of the body. The X-ray images created through an angiography procedure are called angiograms. The test helps to study narrowing, blockage, enlargement, or malformation of arteries or veins in many parts of human body such as brain, heart, abdomen, kidneys and legs.

Since blood vessels cannot be viewed clearly on a normal X-ray, hence a special dye is injected into blood through a small tube i.e. catheter into an artery in patient’s groin or sometimes in arm. The catheter is inserted after an injection of local anesthetic around artery. However, occasionally anesthesia is given intravenously.

Following anesthesia, dye is injected and pictures are taken with the help of x-ray machine. The dye flowing through the blood stream highlights the blood vessels allowing doctor to spot any problems.

Depending upon use of angiography procedure for various parts of body, different types of angiography or angiogram are:

Coronary Angiography – to investigate heart and nearby blood vessels
Cerebral Angiography – for checking blood vessels in and around brain
Pulmonary Angiography – to look for trouble in blood vessels supplying lungs
Renal Angiography – to check blood vessels supplying kidneys

However, angiography may be performed using scans other than X-rays such as:

Computerized Tomography (CT) Angiography
Magnetic Resonance (MR) Angiography

In addition, Fluorescein Angiography is often used by ophthalmologists to check blood vessels supplying to the eyes.

Benefits of Angiography Surgery

There are various benefits of angiography surgery that help clinicians to reach to the cause of trouble in blood vessels. When it comes to diagnose cardiac problems, angiography helps in knowing the number of coronary arteries blocked or narrowed and pinpoint location of blockage and determine effect of blockage on blood flow in blood vessels.

Angiography is invariably used to diagnose or investigate a number of problems arising due to the affected blood vessels such as:

Atherosclerosis i.e. narrowing of the arteries due to the deposition of fats i.e. plaque formation.
Peripheral Arterial Disease that means reduced blood supply to the leg muscles
Brain Aneurysm i.e. a bulge in a blood vessel in brain
Angina
Blood Clots or a Pulmonary Embolism – cause a blockage in the artery supplying blood to the lungs
Blockage in the blood supply to kidneys

Angiography helps doctors to plan treatment for most of above conditions. It may eliminate the need for surgery and if necessary, it can be performed more accurately. The use of a catheter makes it possible to combine diagnosis and treatment in a single procedure.

Invariably, finding a blockage or sever narrowing doctors proceed for angioplasty or stent placement.

Cost of Coronary Angiography Procedure in India

The cost of coronary angiography procedure in India differs from case to case and might depend upon:

Status and expertise of doctor
Hospital – Government, Private or Charitable
Procedure of angiography
Any other surgical procedure performed along with Angiography
Room category and nursing services availed

Despite world-class facilities, cost of angiography procedure in India is extremely low and affordable when compared to medically advanced countries.