Angiography of the vessels of the lower limbs can reveal numerous circulatory diseases, as well as many more serious problems. The survey is conducted in several ways. Everything depends on the severity of the alleged disease and the patient's condition.
Types of angiography of lower extremities
The study of the vessels of the lower extremities is most often performed for the diagnosis of a disease such as thrombophlebitis . It is very important to diagnose as early as possible before the disease goes into a more dangerous and complicated phase. In addition, angiography is prescribed with the following problems:
- narrowing or blockage of the arteries;
- obliterating atherosclerosis;
- injuries and injuries;
- aneurysms;
- fusion of veins;
- diabetic foot syndrome;
- postoperative observations.
Angiography can be performed using:
- computed tomography (CT);
- radiopaque studies;
- ultrasound dopplerography;
- multispiral computed tomography (MSCT).
Thanks to CT angiography of the vessels of the lower extremities, it is possible to study in detail the state of the bloodstream, carefully examine any part of the vessel and determine the violation of blood flow.
MSCT angiography of the lower extremities is a high-speed multislice computed tomography of the arterial bed with the use of contrasting vessels. Most often it is assigned to identify such problems as:
- angiodysplasia;
- stenoses ;
- occlusion;
- thromboses;
- traumatic injuries of the limbs.
The procedure is also recommended for the control of established prostheses and vascular stents.
Thanks to this method of diagnosis, the specialist receives multi-plane 3-D images of the arterial channel. This method is considered the most advanced and informative.
Principle of examination
Traditional is angiography under local anesthesia. Only MSCT will be an exception. Before the diagnosis, an artery is pierced and a contrast agent is injected. In newer methods of investigation, contrast is administered intravenously.
The procedure itself takes no more than 20 minutes. In this case, a specialist at some point may ask you to hold your breath. This is necessary in order to get clear pictures. After the examination, the patient should spend some time under the supervision of medical workers to exclude the possibility of large blood loss at the puncture site and the insertion of a catheter (sometimes it happens that the blood does not stop). The received pictures are studied by specialists, and the final diagnosis is made.