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Coronary Artery Disease: Should I Have an Angiogram?

You may want to have a say in this decision, or you may simply want to follow your doctor's recommendation. Either way, this information will help you understand what your choices are so that you can talk to your doctor about them.

Coronary Artery Disease: Should I Have an Angiogram?

Here's a record of your answers. You can use it to talk with your doctor or loved ones about your decision.

Get the facts

Your options

  • Have an angiogram to help decide how best to treat your coronary artery disease.
  • Don't have an angiogram.

This decision aid is for people who have coronary artery disease and stable angina. This means that your angina symptoms, such as chest pain or pressure, happen at times you can predict. They happen when your heart is working hard, such as during exercise. Your symptoms go away when you rest or after you take nitroglycerin.

Key points to remember

  • An angiogram can show if your coronary arteries are narrowed, where they are narrowed, and by how much. It can help your doctor see if a change in treatment—such as medicines, angioplasty, Opens dialog, or coronary artery bypass surgery, Opens dialog—can improve your angina or lower your risk of heart attack or death from heart problems.
  • An angiogram can't show if narrowed places in your arteries will cause a heart attack.
  • Other tests may give you and your doctor all the information you need to make treatment decisions. These other tests do not have the risks of an angiogram.
  • If, during the test, your doctor sees that your arteries are narrowed, angioplasty could be done right away. So before you have the test, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor about this possible treatment. Ask what the test might show and what your choices are in each case.
  • You may not want an angiogram if you already know that you don't want to have angioplasty or bypass surgery.

FAQs

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Current as of: July 31, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review Board
All Ignite Healthwise, LLC education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.