arteriography
Meaning of arteriography: An X-ray study that makes arteries appear by filling them with a liquid the beam cannot pass through.
Definition of arteriography
Arteriography is an examination that shows the inside of arteries. A fine tube is threaded into an artery, contrast dye is injected through it, and X-ray images are taken as the dye fills the vessel. Narrowings, complete blockages, bulges and abnormal connections all appear as changes in the shape of the dye column against a plain background.
How arteriography is built
- arteri/o Combining form · Greek artery
- -graphy Suffix · Greek the process of recording or imaging
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
How is it done?
Access is usually gained at the wrist or the groin, where an artery runs close to the surface. After numbing the skin a needle is placed, a guidewire is passed, and a thin catheter is threaded over the wire toward the vessel of interest. Contrast is injected and images are captured rapidly. A computer subtracts a picture taken before the injection from the ones taken during it, so bone and soft tissue vanish and only the filled vessels remain. This imaging procedure is watched live on a screen as it happens.
How does it compare with scans?
| Method | Dye given | Detail | Treatment possible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catheter arteriography | Into the artery | Highest | Yes, in the same sitting |
| CT angiography | Into a vein | High | No |
| MR angiography | Into a vein or none | Good | No |
| Ultrasound | None | Limited by depth and gas | No |
Why is it still used when scans exist?
Two reasons. It resolves the finest vessels better than any scan, which matters in the brain and in small vessels of the hand or foot. More importantly, the catheter is already in position, so the problem found can be dealt with immediately: a narrowing stretched with a balloon, a stent placed to hold it open, a bleeding vessel plugged, or a clot removed. That makes it an invasive procedure that doubles as a route to treatment rather than a purely diagnostic test.
What risks are recognized?
Bruising and bleeding at the puncture site are the commonest. Contrast can strain kidneys that are already impaired and occasionally provokes an allergic reaction. Disturbing material inside a diseased vessel can send fragments downstream, which is the mechanism behind the small risk of stroke during studies of arteries in the neck and head. Injury to the vessel wall itself is uncommon.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Coronary arteriography demonstrated a severe narrowing in the proximal vessel.
Good to know
Arteriography images arteries specifically, while angiography is the broader word covering veins and lymphatic vessels as well.
Word origin
Where “arteriography” comes from
From the Greek arteria, meaning artery, and graphein, meaning to write or record.