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Cerebral angiography - Risks

Alternative Names

Vertebral angiogram; Angiography - head; Carotid angiogram

What the risks are:

There is the possibility of significant complications, including:

Allergic reaction to the contrast dye
Blood clot or bleeding at the needle stick site, which could partly block blood flow to the leg
Damage to an artery or artery wall from the catheter, which can block blood flow and cause a stroke (rare)

Special considerations:

Tell your health care provider immediately if you have:

Facial weakness
Numbness in your leg during or after the procedure
Slurred speech
Vision problems

Brain

Carotid stenosis, X-ray of the left artery

Carotid stenosis, X-ray of the right artery

Reviewed last on: 1/6/2009
Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Koenigsberg RA, Bianco BA, Faro SH, Stickles S, Hershey BL, Siegal TL, et al. Neuroimaging. In: Goetz, CG, eds. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 23.

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