Angiograms

[Orangegirl]

What can I expect from an angiogram? Am I at a high risk for complications due to the SAH?
:confused:

[FireflyR7]

:) Welcome to the site!! I am Tricia, I had a rupture and have had 3 angiograms and they did my 2 surgeries the same way. It is not that bad. More mental I think than anything? :o This is a good place for info. and support!!

When did you find out about your SAH and how??? Where is it located? Do you have many syptoms??

Mine is next to my left optical artery and comm. arteries, I too was a very high risk for going misdiagnosed for too long and I did fine. Mine was stented and coiled in Sept. & Oct. of 05, my rupture happened on June 29th.

They go in through your leg artery for the proceedure, they give you some medicine to relax you first. They will shave the area around it, maybe even both sides? Then they numb the area. Just tell them if you feel any discomfort and they have more med's ready to go. They will explain things as they go. They inject dye through a cathiter in your artery and it maps out the arteries for them. The worst part is having to lay flat so long while the artery in your leg seals.
Sometimes they use a "angioseal" in the artery and you don't have to lay there as long after the proceedure. It disolves over 90 days. It really doesn't take very long to do the proceedure.

Please tell us your story, we will help you get throught this! ;) I will keep you in my prayers hun!! Tricia

[Kyria Dylan]

Hi. I had a minor stroke during my angiogram and although i need another , i am afraid to. We are all different and some come through with flying colors,but not all. Do not base your decisions on what you read on this board ,but on what your doctors tell you. God be with with and your doctors with all decisions.

[bogbrush]

Hi

I had my last angiogram in October 2006 following my SAH in August 2006 and I wrote a detailed description which is reproduced below:



I had my angiogram yesterday at Southampton and all went well despite having the worst headache for several weeks.

For those who have had this procedure, the following description will probably be old hat, but for those who have not, here it is:

I arrived at the hospital just before 0900, the procedure having been scheduled for 1030 - second on the list. At about 1045 I was told there would be a delay due to an emergency admission, so I was given some codeine for my headache as the paracetamol I had taken an hour previous had no efffect. In fact the headache was getting worse.

At 1250 I was wheeled down to the angiography suite, where I enjoyed a visual feast of hi tech equipment like something from a sci-fi film. Preparation took about half an hour - getting all the equipment ready, preparing the catheter entry site, draping, etc. My headache had subsided somewhat due to the codeine and the fact that my mind was occupied fully with everything that was going on.

The procedure started at about 1330 with the worst part - the local anaesthetic :eek: - which hurt for a few seconds. A catheter was then inserted into the right femoral artery through a small incision at the top of my leg and was steered up to the aorta and finally into the left vertibral artery using a guide wire and real-time x-rays. I could feel nothing except a bit of movement and pushing at the top of my leg. Note: I was fully awake during all of this. I had not been given any sedative.

Now for the main purpose of this procedure. the two x-ray cameras were moved very close to my head and a contrast agent was injected into the catheter so that the arteries can be clearly seen on the x-ray pictures. I was told that I may have a warm feeling at the back of my head and see flashing lights in my eyes, but I experienced none of this. A series of pictures were taken at various camera angles to show the blood circulation and the artery previously occluded by coiling.

This was the end of the procedure. the catheter was removed and the entry site pressed for about 10 minutes to start the healing process. during this time I was shown the pictures which clearly showed the arteries and the coils blocking the artery where the aneurism was. In my case, it was not possible to coil just the aneurism due to its shape, so the whole artery was occluded by coiling.

I returned to the day care ward at 1415 where I had to lie flat for 2 hours with blood pressure measured and neuro obs every 30 minutes. I was given a sandwich which, although welcome, was difficult to eat lying flat.

At 1615 I was able to partially sit up, although I had to remain in bed for a further 2 hours to allow time for the wound in my leg to heal. During this time I sent my wife Karen out for essential supplies (Snickers bar!).

I was finally allowed to go home at 1815, and during the journey my headache came back with a vengeance.


The risks are very small indeed and whilst some people suffer from complications, it's quite rare. You have to go by what the medical professionals tell you and weigh up the risks vs. benifits from that. Hope it helps.

Regards
Keith

[pamuk]

Hi there, Welcome to the board and congratulations on being an "annie survivor".Our board is a good place to get information from a patients perspective. Your medical team will give you information specific to you, but having information from those who have actually experienced something is also very valuable. This is why this board is so good it gives information from a patients perspective.

I have had two angiograms one to confirm diagnosis of my unruptured aneurysms the other to check them after they had been successfully coiled. I was awake throughout and was given no sedatives or any other medication.

Keith and Trica give excellent descriptions of having an angiogram so I wont repeat things. I did ask for the hospital staff to explain everything to me before I went in to theatre so I would know what would happen. They did warn me too that I may see flashing lights or have other visual disturbances during the procedure but if this did happen it would be fleeting. I did experience this and it was fleeting just a few seconds. I also felt some pressure behind my eyes for about one minute. I felt no other pain. I was also told I may have itchy skin or feel warm when they released the dye but I experienced none of this. I was discharged from hospital 6 hours after the procedure. I got the results of my angiogram a week later.


I can understand your anxiety about a stroke and yes I was told that this could happen but they said in my case it was a 5% chance I viewed that as a 95% chance of not having a stroke . I know every patient is different and every patient has different risk factors, but the thing to remember is that the procedure is being carried out in planned controlled circumstances and they are aware of this possibility so will be prepared for it, so if anything did go wrong then they can act immediately.to bring about the best possible outcome

I had some headaches and migraine type symptoms in the days following the angiogram
but my usual migraine medication helped.

Do make sure you ask your doctors any questions that concern you about your procedure and your actual risks, and do tell them of your anxieties, I did and my medical team were reassuring to me.



I hope this helps, if you need any more info I will be pleased to help..

Pam from england