What is Angiography? Which is Better, Angiography or CT Scan?
An imaging examination that allows one to observe both the heart and the blood arteries is called a cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan. This type of scan is also sometimes known as a coronary CT angiography or a CT angiogram. It is a procedure that is not very intrusive and carries a low risk of complications in comparison to other procedures like angiography. Further, angiography in Chandigarh is one of the best places where you can go for your diagnosis.
According to a recent study, CT scans are the best choice for people who have a 50% or lower chance of having CHD before the test. And now that ultrahigh-resolution CT scanners have been made available, it may only be a matter of time before traditional invasive angiograms are gradually phased out and replaced by CT scanners, which are more accurate, easier to use, and have a better spatial resolution.
What is Angiography?
Angiography is a way to look at blood vessels by using x-rays. Angiograms are the pictures that are made when angiography is done.
At the beginning of the procedure, a needle will be inserted into the femoral artery. From this one location, it is possible to treat all parts of the body. After the needle access has been created, catheters and wires will be threaded into the artery system in order to reach the region of interest being investigated.
When the imaging is conducted, an iodine-based contrast material is normally injected into the system. The medium shows the blood traveling through the vessels.
Angiograms are often carried out in hospitals, and patients are only given a local anesthetic before the procedure. The process can take from Twenty minutes to a few hours. It depends on the complexity of the diagnosis and how many contrasts are necessary. For better results, you can go for angiography in Chandigarh.
What is CT Angiography?
CT scanner captures an image of the inside of the body with the help of x-rays and a computer. It’s like a plain x-ray, but instead of just taking one picture of a section of your body, it takes a lot of them.
CT angiography looks at the blood vessels in your neck, brain, lungs, heart, kidneys, and legs by using CT as well as a special dye (contrast).
You will lie down on a flatbed that is attached to the CT scanner, which has a circular hole in the middle. It will progressively drag you into the opening, where images are captured while you are lying down on the bed. The CT personnel maintains control over the movement at all times. However, there are a plethora of best diagnosis centers that you can find for angiography in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar.
CT Angiography vs. Angiography in Mohali
An angiogram is the most common type of angiography. However, CT angiography is a less intrusive alternative. The primary distinction between the two processes is that a traditional angiogram requires the introduction of a catheter into the artery leading to the location that is being analyzed. In contrast, a CT angiography does not necessitate the use of a catheter in any part of the process.
The fact that a CT angiography does not need the patient to undergo any invasive procedures is a notable benefit that sets it apart from other conventional types of angiograms. However, in the event that the results of the CT angiography are abnormal. For example, if one or more blood arteries are found to be blocked or restricted, a conventional angiogram may be necessary as a follow-up procedure.
When surgery to address the blockage or narrowing is being considered, this is the normal situation that arises. Because of this, a conventional angiogram may be preferable to a CT angiography in some circumstances. Further, if your doctor suggests angiography, do consider an angiography test in Mohali for an accurate result. This is because the physician can immediately conduct an angioplasty following the traditional angiogram.
How Precise is a CT Angiography Versus a Traditional Angiogram?
There have been comparisons between the accuracy of a noninvasive CT angiogram and invasive coronary angiography. Therefore, a comparison of CT coronary angiography and invasive coronary angiography was performed in the context of coronary heart disease (CHD).
The researchers analyzed the results of 44 diagnostic studies that used invasive coronary angiography as the reference standard, as well as two diagnostic studies that used intracoronary pressure sensors as the reference standard. It was discovered that CT coronary angiography had a responsivity of 80 percent, as opposed to 67 percent, when compared to invasive coronary angiography. On the other hand, its specificity was 67 percent, in comparison to 75 percent.
It is recommended that CT coronary angiography be the preferred method for detecting obstructive coronary stenoses (OCS). It saves patients from having to go through the ordeal of having an invasive angiogram performed on them. On the other hand, this should only be recommended to individuals whose pre-test risk of coronary heart disease was less than fifty percent.
Additionally, when compared to conventional angiography, cardiac CT angiograms show a high level of accuracy for the detection of CHD. However, when contrasted with invasive angiograms, noninvasive coronary CT scans have a worse spatial resolution. As a result, there is a reduction in diagnostic accuracy when it comes to identifying coronary stents and serious coronary artery calcification.
Conclusion
Lastly, both computed tomography (CT) angiography and a conventional angiogram are useful imaging procedures for making accurate diagnoses of illnesses that affect the heart and blood arteries. Further, many people may choose the noninvasive alternative of CT angiography. The reason is, that it is quick, convenient, and causes only minimal discomfort.
In addition, a CT angiogram has a high detection rate for coronary heart disease in patients and is almost as reliable as a conventional angiogram. This helps medical professionals in decision-making. For example, excluding the possibility of coronary artery disease in patients who have a low to medium risk of developing the condition.
However, there are several diagnosis centers that perform angiography test in Chandigarh.