Invasive Tests and Procedures

Here are some of the invasive tests and procedures we perform. By clicking on the name, you will move directly to its description.

Cardiac Catherization Coronary Angiograms Left Heart Catherization Right Heart Catherization Left Ventricular Angiography

Bypass Graft Angiograms Aortic Angiograms or Aortograms Endomyocardial Biopsies Intra Vascular Ultrasounds

Cardiac Catheterization includes diagnostic and therapeutic procedures involving the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle, possible abnormalities of the heart valves, and studies of the pressures and blood oxygen levels within the heart and lungs.  

Coronary Angiograms help the doctor to study the anatomy and workings of the heart. A special x-ray dye shows up the structures of the heart and provides a map of the coronary arteries.            

Left Heart Catheterization measures blood pressures on either side of the aortic valve.

Right Heart Catheterization uses a catheter called a Swan-Ganz inserted through a vein  to measure blood pressures and sample oxygen saturations in the venous side of the heart and in the lungs. Measurements are also made to determine the amount of blood the heart is pumping (in liters/minute) called cardiac output.

Left Ventricular Angiography examines the left ventricle, the main pumping chamber of the heart. Left Ventricular Angiograms are used to determine the extent of a heart attack and to get a general idea of overall heart function.         

   

Bypass Graft Angiograms study various vessels used by a surgeon as conduits to bypass blockage in coronary arteries. These vessels could include veins from the leg and arteries from the arm or chest wall.

Aortic Angiograms or Aortograms study either the ascending (from the heart through the aortic arch) or descending (from the arch to the iliac arteries) aorta.

Ascending aortography is used to study the aortic valve, the takeoff of the coronary arteries, origins of the vessels to the head and arms, and the size and shape of the aorta itself. Descending aortography  looks at the straight portion of the aorta from high in the chest to its bifurcation (split into two parts) in the pelvis. This aortography is used to look for aneurysm or blockage in the aorta or to study the take off of the many vessels arising from the aorta.

Endomyocardial Biopsies study the tissue of the heart muscle. A small catheter is used to take a sample of tissue from the venous side of the heart. 

Intra Vascular Ultrasounds (IVUS) may be used as a diagnostic tool to help determine the severity of a blockage and its composition. IVUS is also used to ensure that a stent is opened completely against the vessel wall. In the IVUS procedure, a special catheter carrying an ultrasound transducer is passed across the area to be studied. The catheter is mechanically withdrawn through the area as ultrasound pictures are recorded using a dedicated IVUS console.