Angiography is a procedure that allows doctors to look at blood vessels in great detail using X-rays. If the doctors identify a narrowed portion (stenosis) of a blood vessel during the angiography procedure, they may stretch or widen it straightaway using a procedure called an angioplasty. This page from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) explains about an angiography and angioplasty procedure, what it involves and what to expect when your child comes to GOSH have one.

Angiography is a procedure that allows doctors to look at blood vessels in great detail using X-rays. It is used to help make a diagnosis or monitor the effects of a treatment your child might be receiving.

Angiography produces an angiogram, which is an image of the blood vessels in the body. An angiogram looks a little like a road map, showing the path of blood vessels and their junctions. Any part of the body can be studied using angiography so it is used for a wide variety of conditions.

Blood vessels can narrow as part of an illness affecting the entire body, such as vasculitis – see our information sheet for further details – or neurofibromatosis. Sometimes just the arteries supplying the kidneys can become narrowed and this is called renal artery stenosis. A narrowed blood vessel causes problems because it causes reduced blood flow to the part of the body it is supplying. Narrowing of some arteries, especially the ones that supply blood to the kidneys can also lead to high blood pressure. Your child’s doctor will explain why the angioplasty is needed and which part of the body is affected.

It is carried out in the Department of Radiology by a doctor (radiologist) who specialises in using imaging to guide procedures.