What Is The Difference Between Angiography & Angioplasty?

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Many people tend to get confused between angioplasty and angiography and use these terms interchangeably. However, there is a difference between angiography and angioplasty.

Both angioplasty and angiography are related to the blood vessels. However, in angiography, a cardiologist examines your blood vessels to look at your heart health, whereas, in angioplasty, they widen the narrowed arteries to treat blocked heart passages. It proves to be a massive difference between angiography and angioplasty, and hence you can not use these medical terms interchangeably.

What is the difference between angioplasty and angiography? It is best understood by knowing what each term is.

What Is Angiography?

Angiography checks your blood vessels to look for blockages in blood circulation. In addition, it tests your blood vessels and suggests the potential risk factors. During angiography, you are injected with a special dye called ‘contrast medium’. It is inserted into the artery around your groin or arm using a thin tube or catheter. If angiogram reports show any abnormality, you may need to undergo X-rays to determine your treatment plan.

Angiography is a safe and painless procedure and takes up to two hours to get completed. After the process, you may observe bruising or soreness in your arm and groin area. However, it will be reduced in approximately two weeks. Some people may observe rare complications like dye allergy, shortness of breath, strokes, dizziness, and kidney damage due to internal bleeding. These complications are temporary and can be cured by giving proper medical attention.

Your Cardiologist May Suggest You Undergo Angiography If You Have:

Chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart
A narrow artery that may lead to strokes and heart attacks
To undergo a medical procedure to treat narrowed and blocked artery
Blockages in blood supply to the kidney and liver
A peripheral arterial disease that leads to a restricted blood supply to your legs

It is essential to take immediate action if you have any of the above medical conditions. The stark angiography and angioplasty differences are evident while answering the above question. Understanding what angioplasty will further help in understanding the diff between angiography and angioplasty.

What Is Angioplasty?

If your doctor finds a blockage in your artery, they may suggest you opt for an angioplasty procedure. In this process, a doctor inserts a fine tube in your artery to treat the blockage. Balloon angioplasty is a standard treatment procedure to treat artery blockages. In this treatment process, a special balloon is inflated at the blocked site using water pressure. The water pressure is more significant than your blood pressure, and it removes the blockage. As the blockage is removed, the blood flows through the arteries normally. After completing the process, the balloon is deflated and removed from the artery.

The balloon angioplasty is repeated several times to clear all the blockages. If your doctor cannot clear the blood passage, they may put a stent within the artery. The stent creates a path in the arteries and ensures smooth blood flow. The stents are a wire mesh coated with medicine to prevent the artery from sticking together.

If you have diabetes and other health complications, your doctor may suggest you undergo coronary artery bypass surgery. In this process, the doctor uses a blood vessel from another part of your body to bypass the blocked artery. The treatment procedures mark the difference between angiography and angioplasty.

Angioplasty is a safe procedure, but it may cause minor damages to the blood vessels. In rare cases, it may cause a few complications. These are:

Risk of failed angioplasty
A higher risk of bleeding
Re-narrowing of artery
A severely narrow passage that does not respond to the inflated balloon

Moreover, you may get exposed to coronary artery damage, kidney problems, stroke, and abnormal heart rhythms.

Another major difference between angiography and angioplasty is the recovery time. Once angioplasty is complete, you may need to stay at the hospital for a week. Moreover, a significant angiography and angioplasty difference is that angiography checks your blood vessels’ status, whereas angioplasty cures the artery blockage.

In addition to recovery time and the status of your blood vessels, another diff between angioplasty and angiography is the medications. After angioplasty, your doctor recommends taking blood-thinning drugs. In addition, you must drink water and remain hydrated to flush the dye from your body. If you feel swelling and bruises in the chest, call your doctor immediately.

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