During an angiogram, a long slender tube called a catheter is inserted into a large artery (generally, in the groin area). The catheter is slowly and carefully threaded through the artery until its tip reaches the segment of vessel to be examined by angiography.

Is an angiogram painful?

Will an angiogram hurt? Neither test should hurt. For the conventional angiogram you'll have some local anaesthetic injected in your wrist through a tiny needle, and once it's numb a small incision will be made, in order to insert the catheter.

What is angiography and how is it done?

Angiography is a type of X-ray used to check blood vessels.

Blood vessels do not show clearly on a normal X-ray, so a special dye needs to be injected into your blood first. This highlights your blood vessels, allowing your doctor to see any problems. The X-ray images created during angiography are called angiograms.