Prairie Lakes Healthcare System has become a leading provider in this region for diagnostic and interventional angiogram procedures to find and treat blockages or narrowing of blood vessels, often the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.
During the procedure, a dye that is visible on X-ray is injected into your arteries or veins. The X-ray will quickly show where the problems are. If it is a diagnostic procedure only, that information will be used by your medical team to devise a course of treatment. However, you can also receive treatment during the same procedure. The doctor will run a tiny tube to through your blood vessels to the site of the blockage, then insert a small permanent tube called a stent to open the artery and keep it open.
The diagnostic angiogram leaves no traces at all. The interventional angiogram's only evidence is a small incision at the point of entry, usually the thigh. And restoring the flow of blood to the heart has immediate benefits. Patients often report feeling healthier and more energetic as soon as the procedure is done.