should I get a angiogram?

[singularity]

hey all,

  For the last 10, 15 yeas of my life I have experienced chest pains, numbness of the left side of the body, nausea, gastrointestinal problems, severe fatigue etc. They have done many EKGs, stress testings but found nothing. My doctors are reluctant to do a Angiogram due to the risk. They feel that it is not likely for me to have a heart issue since if I did I probably wouldn't survived for so long.

  But for me, all my symptoms points towards a heart problem. I can't do anything physical for too long without feeling fatigued and I have constant chest discomfort. I think Angiogram is the only way to know for sure so I want to convince them to let me have one. Any suggestions?

  Thanks!

[ed34]

I think it depends on the area of the body they wish to take images of. Usually to obtain clear pictures of arteries, a dye will be used. If for example they require pictures of the bowel, then a special radiactive dye is given in a drink form. It depends on what's being scanned.

[singularity]

what's the difference between a CT scan with dye and without dye?

[singularity]

My doctor says BCBS might not pay for the CT scan? Is that true? Usually how much do they cost?

Thanks!

[anandbharti]

This is the sequence of tests I had in last few months. I had a nuclear stess test conducted by my cardiologist. He thought my heart wall showed abnormality so he asked me to get a a CT angiogram. CT angiogram is a noninvasive process and in a nutshell, a 360 x-ray picture of your heart. The only danger is the radiation and the dye they inject in you to visualize the organ. Well, the CT angiogram said the wall was OK but there was significant blockage in the LAD coronary artery. The blocking was  confirmed using a "traditional" angiogram or catheterization and I had a stent put in to fix that.

So my advice is to get a CT scan done and take it from there.

You have my best wishes

[ed34]

I spend a lot of time looking at new technologies. Did you know that synthetic vessels are being grown using bacteria now? they produce a cellulose based vessel which is not very prone to clotting. Trials have also begun with injecting stem cells into the coronary arteries, stem cells specifically recoded to produce blood vessels in the hope the hearts will be revascularised. I know clinics have been claiming this ability for a while, but no improvement has been actually proved. I can't wait to see the results from this trial. The scientists managed to grow new vessels in mice and it's hoped the technique will work just as well in humans.
The main research I'm following with great interest is the growing of a new patients heart in a lab using their own stem cells. Working hearts for mice and rabbits have been grown fully functional, but this research seems to be slowing down. I think their main concern is ensuring a modified stem cell won't suddenly turn rogue, becoming cancerous. However, I think in the next few years, we will see the first human trials.
How fantastic will that be, no longer waiting for donor hearts and no more rejection problems. 70 year olds having the heart of a young adult put into them, I wonder how much fitter they will feel from this. Of course, there are all the other arteries in the body stiffening from age :(

[kenkeith]

Thanks, I wasn't aware of the 320!:)

There appears to be two as of a year ago...the new 320 slice CT is only located in two places in the United States: Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore

The new scanner can produce 320 -- or an even more detailed 640 -- cross-sectional images or slices. Then, a computer stacks up the slices to create 3-D pictures. Doctors can better see subtle changes in blood flow or blockages forming in tiny blood vessels in organs, with amazing detail and accuracy.

The one second scan exposes patients to less radiation and allows more patients to receive the scan. DeFord's heart scan is being used as a guide to help speed up his life. "I'm hoping to get my life back," he says. Now, getting it back can take just seconds.