Angiography Services at

Oregon Surgical Specialists

Angiography Services

Oregon Surgical is pleased to offer our patients a state of the art Angiography Suite within our office.

Our team of renowned surgeons, radiography techs and nurses provide a comprehensive array of outpatient diagnostic and interventional services including:

 

  • Diagnostic angiograms
  • Peripheral arterial atherectomy, balloon angioplasty and stent placement
  • Renal artery angioplasty and stent placement
  • Mesenteric artery angioplasty and stent placement
  • Venogram and venous stenting
  • Thrombectomy (declot) of dialysis access 

What is an Angiogram?

An angiogram is an imaging technique to visualize blood vessels. Mostly it is used to look at arteries (vessels that transport the blood away from the heart), but at times can also be used to look at veins (vessels that take blood back to the heart).

It is helpful to diagnose narrowings or blockages that obstruct the blood flow. Once these are identified they can often be treated at the same time (with an angioplasty, which is explained below). 

During the angiogram first a needle and then a small, short tube (sheath) is inserted into the vessel, typically in the groin. A special dye (contrast medium) is injected into the blood stream and x-ray pictures are taken as the solution passes along the vessels.

The whole procedure lasts approximately one hour, but may take longer if treatment takes place in the same sitting. One of the big advantages is that it can be performed with a local anaesthetic, which means that the patient does not need to go to sleep. 

What is an Angioplasty?

An angioplasty is a minimal invasive (keyhole) technique to treat narrowings or blockages in the vessels that restrict the blood flow. This is done by passing a balloon across the diseased segment and then inflating it. The size of the balloon will match exactly the size of the blood vessel. As a result the plaque will literally be squashed against the vessel wall restoring a good lumen which allows the blood to flow unrestricted.

Sometimes a ‘stent’ is inserted afterwards. A stent is a tube made of a special metal mesh and works like a scaffolding to assist keeping the artery open. 

What is an Atherectomy?

One of the more recent innovations in the minimally invasive treatment of arterial blockages is the technique of atherectomy. Literally, atherectomy means cutting out the plaque. With a similar technique as that involved in stenting and balloon angioplasty, a special catheter with a blade at the tip is maneuvered back and forth in the diseased arterial segment. The blade shaves the plaque from the arterial wall and the fragments are collected within the catheter. In this fashion, a new channel is created in the diseased artery. Sometimes, in order to obtain the desired effect, balloon angioplasty with or without stenting may be added to the procedure.